innovative DNA immunization service

DNA Immunization

Creative Biolabs is proud to offer the innovative DNA immunization service to customize polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. As an advanced strategy, DNA immunization enables the immunized hosts to in vivo produce interested antigens with common post-transcriptional modifications and then induce a powerful immune response.

What is DNA immunization?

DNA immunization is one of the most straight-forward approaches to elicit an immune reaction against a foreign protein. Differ from the conventional immunization methods, DNA immunization permits in vivo antigen production, bypassing the time-consuming (sometimes also difficult) processes of immunogens (e.g. peptides and recombinant proteins) synthesis and purification. In addition, these in vivo expressed proteins can maximally maintain the naïve structures and go through appropriate post-transcriptional modifications. These properties can contribute to the generation of high-affinity antibodies against the natural conformation of the target antigen, which is a crucial feature for developing therapeutic antibodies. Meanwhile, this approach is also an ideal solution to develop antibodies against membrane proteins or other challenging or problematic antigens. Furthermore, DNA immunization is also a novel tool in the early phases of DNA vaccine development.

Challenging or Problematic Antigens Available for DNA Immunization

Multi-pass membrane proteins (i.e. GPCRs and ion channels) Insoluble proteins
PTM proteins Unstable proteins
Intracellular proteins Large protein domains
Secreted proteins Proteins containing disulfide bonds
Toxic proteins Unknown proteins whose genes have been obtained
Insoluble proteins
Unstable proteins
Large protein domains
Proteins containing disulfide bonds
Unknown proteins whose genes have been obtained

With years of research and development experience, Creative Biolabs can offer a series of DNA immunization strategies to meet our clients’ specific project objectives. Our featured strategies including but not limited to:

On the basis of the provided sequencing information, our experienced scientists could offer one-stop service from gene synthesis to immunization, and then generate high quality polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies by one of our antibody discovery technologies:

Additional Advantages of DNA ImmunizationOnly requires in silico DNA sequence

No need recombinant protein or peptide
No risk of antigen contamination
Time- and labor-saving
Generate antibody with high affinity and specificity

In our MemDX™ DNA immunization service, the MemDX™ DNA transfection reagent is employed to transfect the immune plasmid into cell line for the immune response validation and further screening. Furthermore, Creative Biolabs can also provide a series of specific MemDX™ transfection reagents as individual products for our clients. These MemDX™ reagents (such as DNA transfection reagents, mRNA transfection reagents or siRNA transfection reagents) can achieve high efficiency in vitro transfection for a broad range of cell types of cell lines to assist our clients’ research and project development.

As a pioneer in the field of antibody research and development, Creative Biolabs has successfully applied our special DNA immunization service for hundreds of antibody discovery projects. Whether the interested antigen is a membrane protein or other challenging protein, our experienced scientists are confident in tailoring the most appropriate protocols of DNA immunization approach to meet our customers’ specific requirements.

All listed services and products are For Research Use Only. Do Not use in any diagnostic or therapeutic applications.

Related Sections

Particle mediated DNA Immunization

Putin unveils Poseidon: Tidal wave torpedo warns of nuclear Armageddon

Russia stunned the world by claiming a successful test of Poseidon, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drone-torpedo described by the Kremlin as an 'unstoppable' new weapon capable of demolishing coastal cities. In a statement on Oct. 29, 2025, Vladimir Putin said the device had, for the first time, activated its nuclear propulsion system following a submarine launch. He asserted that the torpedo could travel distances and depths beyond existing defences, warning there was 'nothing like this, nothing able to intercept it'.

The revelation of this fact has impacted the different sectors of government, military analysts, and strategists all at once. The unveiling of Poseidon, as well as the extensive statements connected to it, represents a new level of underwater nuclear power. The situation with Russia, the West, and NATO is getting more and more tense and the underwater weapon's ability to change the naval balance is raising concerns.

What Poseidon Is and What Putin Claims It Can Do

Poseidon, known in NATO parlance as 'Kanyon', is described as a 20-metre-long, roughly two-metre-diameter unmanned underwater vehicle, weighing up to 100 tonnes, propelled by a compact nuclear reactor. Some sources claim that Poseidon is one of the 'super weapons' that was revealed by Russia before.

According to Russian government accounts, once launched from a specialised submarine, the drone can travel for thousands of kilometres, dive to depths of up to 1,000 metres, and approach enemy shores undetected. Its warhead is believed to be of multi-megaton yield, with many external analysts estimating around two megatons.

During the October 2025 announcement, Putin emphasised the weapon's strategic importance, calling the test a 'huge success' and saying that 'there is nothing like this in the world'. He said it represents a class of threats designed to bypass traditional missile defences and strike coastal infrastructure or major cities from below the seas.

Russian-supported media and analysts have even gone so far as to proclaim that Poseidon might cause enormous 'radioactive tsunamis' to annihilate whole coastlines. The dramatic imagery alongside such alerts has not only grabbed the headlines but also created a climate of fear on a mass scale.

Poseidon's Plausible Threat: The Scientific Debate

Western defence analysts and nuclear experts caution that while Poseidon's technical attributes are concerning, many of the more apocalyptic claims, such as 500-metre tsunami waves, lack a credible scientific basis. Underwater nuclear explosions, even at high yields, disperse energy radially rather than focus it directionally, limiting wave height and range.

Models suggest that a detonation near a coast could inflict catastrophic damage to ports, naval bases or low-lying districts and produce radioactive contamination. Yet the idea that a single explosion could produce a tsunami capable of submerging entire cities remains highly speculative.

More realistic assessments characterise Poseidon as a strategic deterrent, not a guaranteed 'doomsday weapon.' Its value may lie more in fear, uncertainty, and pressure, forcing adversaries to expand underwater detection and naval defence systems, than in actual deployment.

The conception of the weapon, which is a nuclear-powered, deep-sea diving automatic drone, causes it to be a challenge to the existing arms control regimes that have mainly centred on missiles and aircraft. Its ability to escape radar and missiles places a greater difficulty on defence strategies than before.

Moreover, Russia has reportedly begun building specialised submarine carriers intended to launch Poseidon drones. The entry into service of such platforms would signal a shift from conceptual threat to concrete capability.

The October 2025 test comes shortly after Russia demonstrated a separate nuclear-powered cruise missile, deepening concern that Moscow is investing heavily in a new generation of strategic delivery systems beyond traditional ballistic missiles.

For the entire global community of government officials and military strategists, Poseidon is a multifaceted contemporary problem: a missile system that probably wouldn't get used through firing, but its very presence could alter the balance of power, arms regulation, and the safeguarding of large urban coastal areas in favour of the naval side.

Russia’s grim gain: Fallen soldiers boost Putin’s economy

Clever ploy

According to the Wall Street Journal and Russian economist Vladislav Inozemtsev, families of soldiers who die in service and are at least 35 years old after one year of duty may be entitled to a compensation package of roughly 14.5 million rubles, or about $150,000. This amount includes both the soldier’s salary and a designated death benefit.

Worth more dead than alive

The amount doesn’t include bonuses and insurance payouts, and in some regions of Russia, it’s more than what a man would have earned as a civilian if he worked until the age of 60.

An attractive offer for recruits

Moreover, in order to attract the largest number of recruits to the Ukrainian front, Vladimir Putin decided last July to double the monthly salary of contract soldiers.

Ten times the average salary

This amount increased from 195,000 to 400,000 rubles (a little over 4,000 euros or 4,400 US dollars), the equivalent of ten times the average salary in Russia.

A commitment bonus

According to French newspaper ‘Le Monde’, a bonus of 1.2 million rubles (a little over 12,000 euros or 13,300 US dollars) is paid to contract soldiers when they enlist. Enough to attract the youth of a country where the income of a part of the population remains low.

Cooperation of local authorities

Local authorities are involved in the aggressive recruitment campaigns. ‘Euronews’ reported that the Krasnodar region, a major supplier of recruits for the army, has increased the enlistment bonus to the equivalent of €16,000 ($17,700).

Social benefits

In addition to this tax-free income, there are a number of privileges for soldiers and their families, such as preferential mortgage rates, easier access to universities and high retirement pensions.

More profitable

Recalling the existence of a death bonus of up to 11 million rubles (around 110,500 euros or 122,000 US dollars), ‘Le Monde’ indicates that "a strange economic model has thus emerged, according to which a dead Russian brings more to his family than a living Russian."

The ‘death economy’

This phenomenon led Vladislav Inozemtsev, a Russian economist, to speak of a "death economy" driven by the income of fighters and investments in weapons.

Colossal expenses

According to the US-based expert, the Russian authorities currently spend between 1.5 and 2 trillion rubles (15.1 to 20.2 billion euros) per year just to pay military bonuses and salaries.

A new reality

"This is unprecedented because Russians have always been sent to the army under duress or out of patriotism. Vladimir Putin has created a completely new reality," Inozemtsev adds.

Avoiding an unpopular mobilization

"Russia is short of volunteers, but it does not want to repeat an unpopular mobilisation. That is why it continues to increase signing bonuses," Alexander Clarkson, a lecturer at King's College London, told ‘Euronews’.

Massive state intervention

How are such revenues possible in a country hit hard by Western sanctions? This is explained by a change in the economic model, characterized by massive state intervention in the economy.

A new model

Isolated from a big part of the world, Russia has turned to a war economy model in which the state supports growth through military spending and the payment of high incomes to part of the population.

Massive injections of money

According to the German newspaper ‘Die Welt’, Russia enjoyed an economic growth of 3.6% in 2023. The money supply (the amount of money in circulation) increased by 8.5% in the same year, after a 20% increase in 2022, with high inflation as a counterpart.

Growth driven by public spending

According to an analysis cited by the newspaper from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, a British research center, Russian economic expansion is linked to "aggressive military spending and consumption-driven growth."

Artificially stimulated consumption

The rise in consumption is itself "fueled by a sharp increase in payments to military personnel in war zones and their families, as well as by increases in pensions and social benefits."

A closed boiler full of money

Interviewed by the German media, Russian economist Oleg Viougin described his country as a "closed cauldron full of money", in reference to the increase in income and wealth since the start of the war.

The limits of a model

This short-term growth should not, however, overshadow the limits of the new Russian economic model. Starting with inflation, recently estimated at more than 9% over a year by the Rosstat statistics institute.

A shortage of labor

Moreover, the mobilization of young men and the exile of Russian executives abroad are leading to a shortage of labor. And the massive recruitment of the army and the defense industry are penalizing the private sector.

Competition between employers

"The Russian army must now compete with the Russian military industry, which is booming and also hungry for workers," adds ‘Euronews’. The outlet describes a dilemma for the country's elite between recruiting soldiers and workers.

Lack of innovation

"The government is injecting a lot of money into the arms industry, but without innovating," says Alexandra Prokopenko, a visiting researcher at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, quoted by ‘Le Monde’.

A strong constraint

"Human resources are a real constraint. The low unemployment rate is not due to the success of the Kremlin's economic policy; in reality, many economic sectors are short of workers," the expert adds.

Hydrocarbon revenues

Indeed, Russia's status as "the world's largest exporter of raw materials" gives it "the revenues needed to produce weapons and pay the military sent to the front."

No Plan B for Russia

"Returning to a situation of peace, in which such expenditure would be unjustified, and demobilizing an army of criminals would prove very dangerous," the economist adds.

Danger remains for Ukraine

According to him, Moscow can maintain this morbid economic model "for at least five to six years, which is much longer than Ukraine can endure." So Kyiv cannot yet count on the possible exhaustion of the invader.

Trump has declared civilisational war on Europe. It won’t be easy – but here’s how to fight back

Three decades after political philosopher Francis Fukuyama declared the End of History and the “universalisation of western liberal democracy as the final form of human government”, the democratic model is under attack in many parts of the world, not least here in Europe. Populists bent on weakening the rule of law, rolling back human rights protections, subjugating the judiciary and cowing independent journalism are amplified by anything-goes social media algorithms that promote anger and polarisation over rational discourse.

They have now received a mandate from the Trump administration, which effectively declared civilisational war on the EU and its values in its National Security Strategy.

The growing failure, meanwhile, of our market democracies to deliver affordable housing, universal quality education and healthcare, and security of employment – what the economist Joseph Stiglitz calls the “inequality emergency” – is alienating many young and working-class people from democracy, fuelling the rise of illiberalism and authoritarianism.

The combination of grievance-based identity politics and what some call techno-fascism poses a danger to our democratic system of governance. It is tearing at the fabric of our liberal polities, reversing women’s and gay rights, and loosening the employment and welfare protections that are part of Europe’s social contract.

In the past 12 months alone, enemies of liberal democracy have undermined the integrity of elections, harmed the ability of governments to implement evidence-based policy on issues such as climate change and vaccination, and weakened the role of watchdogs such as the courts, digital regulators and anti-corruption authorities.

Yet we are much better at describing and analysing – cynics say “admiring” – the problem than at crafting effective strategies to combat the forces undermining democracy. A range of suggestions for how to fight back was outlined at the annual conference of the European Policy Centre (EPC) in Brussels last week. But each one of them is fraught with difficulty.

Many people argued that the European Union and key national authorities such as Ireland’s communication regulator should speed up enforcing the EU’s existing digital laws. The EU has the power to fine US tech giants for failing to moderate and remove illegal content, disclose their algorithms to researchers and regulators, and protect the private data of European users.

Why is enforcement taking so long? Well, because of the rule of law. “This is a due process system,” Renate Nikolay deputy-director for communications at the European Commission said. She rejects allegations that the EU is deregulating or lowering standards as part of its drive to simplify EU legislation, or going slow out of fear of threatened US trade retaliation.

The commission has issued seven so-called preliminary findings against tech giants such as Apple, Meta, Google and TikTok, accusing them of breaching EU tech rules over issues such as denying researchers access to platforms’ data, ability to notify illegal content and challenge moderation decisions. Its most recent action was to slap a €120m fine on Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter) for making users pay for blue tick authentification without doing any effective verification.

Related: Trump’s new doctrine confirms it. Ready or not, Europe is on its own | Georg Riekeles and Varg Folkman

Technology, especially AI, is advancing faster than EU regulation. The EU’s effort to prevent big tech undermining the European way of democracy is not exactly helped when Ireland, the low-tax country where many US tech companies elected to put their European headquarters, appoints a former Meta lobbyist as one of its three top data protection regulators.

For some, especially on the left, the key to preserving liberal democracy is to address people’s bread-and-butter needs for affordable housing, well-paid jobs and effective public services. They contend that the main reason for the rise of the extreme right and radical left, and their attraction for young people and old industrial workers, is the failure of the mainstream centre-left and centre-right parties that have governed for decades to deliver on these issues. In this telling, those who have lost out under neoliberalism and globalisation are wreaking revenge on liberal democracy.

The trouble is that solutions to the housing crisis reside at national and local level, not under an EU roof, and they are hard to deliver quickly because of planning regulations, nimbyism and cost. Many European social democrats and leftists are excited about the New York mayoral election victory of Zohran Mamdani on a laser-focused platform of free bus travel, rent control, public non-profit grocery stores in poor neighbourhoods, free childcare and building more affordable housing. They also point to the success of Spain’s leftwing government, which has raised social benefits and welcomed immigration while presiding over the fastest growing economy in Europe.

Yet that has not stopped the growth of far-right populism. Spain’s anti-migrant Vox party has seen its support jump from 12.4% at the 2023 general election to almost 20% now. Social democratic parties are losing ground across much of Europe.

Some democracy campaigners see the key to turning the tide in appealing to public fears by depicting the populists as a danger to the European way of life and prosperity. Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive of the EPC, argues that liberal democrats must start behaving as if they were in an existential fight, because they are. “Why are we not doing anything offensive, attacking the other side’s weaknesses, their disdain for the people?” he asked.

Yet exposing past Russian financial support for Marine Le Pen’s hard right National Rally (RN) party in France, or convicting a senior figure in the UK’s rightwing populist Reform party for acting as a Kremlin agent of influence has not dimmed those movements’ popularity. Nor has exhuming past racist statements by their candidates or highlighting the incoherence of their economic platforms caused more than passing embarrassment, if that.

Dramatising a dramatic situation carries its own dangers. Framing the last US presidential election as an existential battle between democracy and authoritarianism – however accurate that may have turned out to be – did not swing voters behind Democrat Kamala Harris. Donald Trump triumphed by playing on public anger over the cost of living, immigration and perceived threats to family values and masculinity. Nor did warnings of massive economic damage, which opponents branded Project Fear, save David Cameron from losing the 2016 referendum over leaving the EU.

An alternative way propounded by some democracy campaigners is simply to do politics better and learn from the campaigns of the extremists. “We need to get back to grassroots politics,” said Lisa Witter, CEO of the Better Politics Foundation, a non-partisan centre that trains young political pros and activists in modern campaign techniques.

Populist parties have become trailblazers in the use of TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party makes huge and effective use of paid online influencers. In Romania, the hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party is better at using playful apps to attract and reward young activists, and more assiduous at the shoe-leather politics of leafleting marketplaces and doorstep campaigning.

Centrist Emmanuel Macron outflanked the mainstream parties by using grassroots activism in his rise to the French presidency in 2017, and Dutch left-liberal leader Rob Jetten’s D66 party successfully used some of the same techniques to score a surprise win with a positive, pro-European message recently. But centrist populism is no guarantee of success, especially for parties that have long been in coalition governments.

Perhaps some combination of the four can save Europe’s liberal democracies, but for the moment the tide seems to be flowing strongly in the other direction.

The nine supplements an immunologist swears by for healthy ageing

Having spent 20 years studying the immune system, Dr Jenna Macciochi, 44, takes nine daily supplements. It would cost more than £200 a month to replicate her regime.

As a highly-regarded immunologist and health coach, who spends her time developing supplement formulations and calculating optimal doses, she is constantly fielding questions about which supplements are really worth taking – and what she takes herself.

She won’t back anything unless there is good scientific evidence underpinning it, and believes that supplements fall into two camps. The first rectifies deficiencies, like vitamin D, which we are all told to take between October and March when exposure to sunlight – our main source of the vitamin – becomes hard to come by. The second claims to optimise health and longevity, an area which is more divisive among scientists, who warn that supplements in this camp can be low quality, come with side effects and are often used to excuse unhealthy lifestyle habits.

“The foundations of health are all the boring things that are really hard to do consistently: diet, lifestyle, sleep and stress management,” says Dr Macciochi, author of Immune to Age: The Game-Changing Science of Immune Health. She does believe that supplements can support and enhance our overall health though, once these four pillars are in place.

“Working in the industry I do, I’m probably more experimental than most,” she admits. “However, I recently had a full analysis of every part of my body – blood, stool, urine – and all my levels for everything were optimal. So I’m doing something right.”

Dr Macciochi keeps all of her supplements in a box beside her kettle and takes them with her breakfast in the morning. These are the ones she recommends.

Vitamin D3 and K2 for immunity and protecting against frailty

“In the winter I take vitamin D3 and K2,” Dr Macciochi says. Vitamin D supports our bones, teeth and immune health, and D3 is the form that is naturally produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. It comes in tablets, drops and sprays, and is often paired with vitamin K2.

“Vitamin K2 helps to make sure the D3 is absorbed into bones and teeth,” she explains. Together, they can strengthen bones, lower the risk of frailty and support the immune system.

“Most people after Christmas are very deficient in vitamin D if they haven’t been supplementing and they’ll get an awful cold in January and February,” she says. “We can do a lot for our immune system over winter just by taking vitamin D, and it’s a cheap supplement to add in.”

Magnesium for supporting muscles and sleep

The body needs magnesium to turn the food we need into energy, and support muscle, nerve and bone function. It’s also been shown to play a role in sleep, with healthy levels being linked with better quality, longer duration and lower levels of tiredness.

While green leafy vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, nuts and seeds all contain magnesium, dietary surveys suggest that most people aren’t getting enough of it. “Research shows that levels of magnesium in our soil are so much lower than 50 years ago,” Dr Macciochi says. “So, even if we’re eating a really good diet, most of us are not getting the amount of magnesium that we need.

“Add to that the fact that modern day stress uses up more of our magnesium reserves and we’re more likely to be deficient.”

Magnesium comes in different forms. There’s magnesium citrate (magnesium that has been combined with citric acid), magnesium glycinate (formed from magnesium and glycine), and magnesium oxide (magnesium with salt and oxygen).

Dr Macciochi created a magnesium supplement which combines magnesium malate, taurate and glycinate, and supports muscle function and recovery. “I take this supplement at night to help me sleep,” she says. Her blend doesn’t include magnesium citrate because she finds it to be more harsh on the gut and could have laxative effect.

Omega-3 and 7 for brain and and heart health

Omega-3s are a family of fats found in nuts, seeds and fish which have been shown to support heart and brain health, as well as reduce inflammation and slow biological ageing.

“Most people in the UK are not getting the right amount of omega-3 in their diet, so it’s worth taking an omega-3 supplement,” Dr Macciochi says.

She takes an omega-3 supplement that also contains omega-7. While our bodies make this fatty acid, the amount we produce declines with age. “Omega-7 is very good for the skin and mucosal barriers of our body, so that can be very useful for ageing.”

Creatine and taurine for energy and exercise performance

Popular with gym buffs, creatine and taurine are an “energy duo” that everyone can benefit from taking in midlife, says Dr Macciochi. “Energy is a perennial health issue for people,” she says. “Everyone wants more.”

Creatine replenishes phosphocreatine, which increases the energy available to our cells. “We know about creatine’s benefits for athletes and performance because muscles are energy-intensive cells, but the brain, the immune system and many other parts of our body use creatine as well,” she says.

Taurine, meanwhile, is an antioxidant and amino acid found in shellfish and meat, but we need more of it as we age. “It helps with cellular energy,” Dr Macciochi explains. “Together with creatine, it’s a nice duo.”

She believes that this combination, which she buys as a powder and mixes into her yoghurt at breakfast, has given her more energy for exercise and has sped up her recovery post exercise.

Collagen for maintaining muscles, bones and joints

“Collagen has this reputation for [improving] women’s skin, but really it helps with things like exercise recovery and minimising injuries because it is the protein that makes up most of our bodies,” Dr Macciochi says.

Collagen production declines with age and, while supplements can’t halt this, they aim to make the drop more gradual. In theory, this keeps the skin, joints and all other body parts that rely on collagen more supple for longer. “It’s not just about our looks and skin appearance – I’ve found the whole-body effects to be quite profound,” she says.

She takes a powdered collagen, and recommends checking the packet to ensure it’s sustainably sourced. Dr Macciochi adds hers to yoghurt at breakfast rather than use liquid forms as the latter contains chemical additives such as potassium sorbet to prevent mould and bacteria growth.

Probiotics and postbiotics for protecting the gut barrier

“Research is emerging about the gut barrier being key to overall health as we age,” Dr Macciochi says. “It’s very delicate – only one cell thick – and it’s there to create a barrier between what’s in the gut and what’s on the inside of your body.

“The gut barrier really takes a hit in modern life. Diets low in fibre, micro-plastics, pesticides and additives in ultra-processed foods add up to this huge inflammatory load.”

Dr Macciochi takes a probiotic (a type of fibre) and postbiotic (dead microbes) that are thought to help repair the gut barrier and reduce inflammation. “Looking after the gut barrier can also change things like how your clothes fit [as they reduce bloating], the regularity of bowel movements and leave you with more energy,” she adds. She uses powders which she mixes into soups or stews for lunch or dinner.

Ergothioneine for supporting the brain and longevity

“Ergothioneine is an antioxidant that protects us from oxidative stress,” Dr Macciochi says. The body can’t make ergothioneine and, while mushrooms and offal are sources, our diets don’t contain much of it.

“We know from some of the emerging research that it’s linked with brain health, longevity and healthspan,” she explains. “It’s a bit of a wild card, and the research is quite young, but I was convinced enough to start taking it.”

CoQ10 for improving heart health

“There are so many longevity supplements around now and, while I’m not convinced by most of them, CoQ10 seems to be beneficial,” Dr Macciochi says.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant that’s naturally found throughout the body. Its role is to fight free radicals, which are particles that damage cells, tamper with DNA and contribute to ageing.

In particular, patients who take statins are expected to benefit as the medication drives down CoQ10 levels. Research also suggests it can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in heart failure patients by half.

“We have decades of data showing it’s potentially really useful for longevity,” she notes. “I think it’s an underutilised longevity supplement.” Dr Macciochi takes it in capsule form in the morning.

Spermidine, quercetin and fisetin for healthy ageing

“Spermidine, quercetin and fisetin are the three I’ve most recently added to my supplement stack,” Dr Macciochi says. These are all plant compounds that help with “inflammageing”, which is the low-level, unwanted inflammation that builds up over time, she explains.

Spermidine helps to rid the body of damaged cells (so-called zombie cells) linked to ageing by activating the body’s cell renewal and recycling process and, as a result, is thought to support the brain and heart as we age. Quercetin, meanwhile, is a flavanol – compounds found in plants – that has been linked with reduced frailty, while fisetin also helps clear out zombie cells.

She takes one pill that contains all three compounds. “Although the research is really new,” she says, “I was convinced by the science behind these supplements, compared to some of the others that you see advertised for longevity.”

WW3 fears explode as NATO discusses 'pre-emptive strikes' on Russia: 'Preparing for war'

NATO is actively considering pre-emptive strikes against Russia in response to Moscow's escalating sabotage and cyber campaign across Europe, the alliance's most senior military officer has said. Tensions between NATO and the Kremlin have intensified amid a surge in hybrid threats.

These include the severing of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, drone incursions over Poland and Germany, arson at Ukrainian-linked sites in the UK, and widespread cyber intrusions. A GLOBSEC report identified more than 110 sabotage incidents in Europe from January 2022 to July 2025, with Poland and France most affected.

READ MORE: Trump to send son-in-law Jared Kushner to meet Putin

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Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of NATO's Military Committee, said: "We are studying everything." He told the Financial Times on Monday: "On cyber, we are kind of reactive. Being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about."

Mr Dragone said a pre-emptive strike could, in certain cases, qualify as defensive action, although it lies "further away from our normal way of thinking and behaviour". He highlighted challenges including "legal framework, jurisdictional framework" but noted cyber retaliation as a simpler option, given NATO members' capabilities.

Russia condemned the remarks as escalatory. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said they represented "an extremely irresponsible step" indicating NATO's "readiness to continue moving towards escalation" and a "deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to overcome the Ukrainian crisis".

Russia's ambassador to Belgium, Denis Gonchar, said NATO was "preparing for a major war with Russia" and "intimidating its population with the Kremlin's non-existent plans to attack the alliance countries".

The rhetoric coincides with US-led peace efforts in Ukraine. President Donald Trump said on December 1 that talks were "going along well" after "productive" meetings in Florida on November 30-December 1 with Ukrainian officials.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today, December 2, to discuss a revised peace framework.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has called territorial demands the "toughest part" of any deal, with Russia holding around 19 % of Ukrainian land.

Eastern NATO allies have urged a shift from "reactivity". One Baltic diplomat said: "If all we do is continue being reactive, we just invite Russia to keep trying, keep hurting us. Hybrid warfare is asymmetric - it costs them little, and us a lot. We need to be more inventive."

NATO's doctrine remains defensive and reactive, but Mr Dragone's comments signal internal debate on doctrinal change amid persistent threats.

Psychologist lists 3 things people pleasers must stop doing immediately

Many of us are people pleasers. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we often change our actions or undertake tasks that we would not normally do in order to keep others happy.

For those who feel as if this is holding them back, a psychologist has taken to TikTok to share her top tips for escaping this cycle.

Dr. Julie Smith, or just Dr. Julie as she's known online, is a clinical psychologist who has more than a decade of professional experience.

She often shares advice - whether it be on social issues or mental health advice - with her impressive TikTok following of nearly five million people.

And one of her recent posts is all about people pleasersand how to overcome being one. So here's everything you need to know...

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According to Julie, the first thing people pleasers need to stop is concealing their own feelings. It's not healthy to agree all the time, so don't minimise your opinions out of fear.

The psychologist said: "Pleasing everyone isn't kindness, it's fear... Fear of conflict, rejection or being seen as difficult."

If this is the case for you, remember that your intentions are not malicious and authenticity is important. Julie added: "True kindness includes being honest even when its uncomfortable."

The second thing that Julie wants people pleasers to stop is 'saying yes' all the time. You may think it's the right thing to do to attend every social occasion or obligation, but it can wear you down over time.

The expert explained: "Saying yes doesn't build connection, it builds resentment. Healthy relationships include boundaries."

Dr Julie's third and final tip is about how always prioritising the needs of others over your own, which you should stop doing immediately.

Not only can this outcast you from your peers, it can also mean you are not advocating for yourself.

The psychologist explained: "The more you abandon your needs to keep others happy, the more invisible you become; even to yourself. Remember being a good person and standing up for yourself are not opposites."

So to sum everything up - stop hiding your feelings, saying yes to everything and putting others first. They're three simple rules to live by, but can really make all the difference to your life!

COSMOS BINA