Longevity PapersAbout
← All papers
RESEARCH PAPER / 2026-09-25

Multi-modality profiling identifies Neisseria flavescens as a central geroprotective oral commensal in humans.

Jiawei Chen, Ya Ren, Yong Zhou, Ziyang Wang, Jiyang Li, Xiaoxiao Guo, Hao Xu, Yiyang Wang, Huiru Tang, Jing-Dong J Han

Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, China.Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, China. · pubmed

Abstract

Aging is accompanied by progressive physiological decline, yet the microbiome determinants that modulate aging remain unclear. Here, we identify Neisseria flavescens (Nf) as an oral commensal associated with decelerated aging in humans. Using AURORA, a generative multi-modality framework, we developed multi-modality aging clocks, performed in silico screening for age-gap-reducing interventions and predicted Nf as a top hit. In silico perturbations linked increased Nf abundance to favorable physiological signatures, beneficial gut taxa and biosynthesis of beneficial metabolites. We isolated two Nf strains and validated their production of beneficial metabolites. Functional assays demonstrated that live Nf extended lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans. In aged mice, heat-killed Nf supplementation restored the serum metabolome, liver transcriptome and gut microbiome toward younger states. By establishing an AI-driven intervention discovery engine and identifying Nf as a geroprotective microorganism, these findings highlight the oral microbiome as an underestimated axis of systemic aging and a candidate for geroprotective interventions.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper claims that the oral commensal bacterium Neisseria flavescens acts as a geroprotective agent that extends lifespan and healthspan in model organisms and reverses aging-associated physiological signatures in mice. This is relevant because it identifies a specific microbial mechanism for systemic aging modulation, moving beyond symptom treatment to address the biological drivers of aging, though the reliance on in silico predictions and heat-killed bacteria in mice limits the immediate translational impact compared to direct genetic or pharmacological interventions.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.