2024 FASEB NAD+ Conference Bridges Lab Science and Human Clinical Trials

NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) has emerged as one of the most consequential molecules in aging and metabolic disease research. This meeting report summarizes the 2024 FASEB Scientific Research Conference on NAD Metabolism and Signaling, held August 25–29 in Lisbon, Portugal—the eighth installment of a biennial series that has shaped the field over sixteen years.

The conference attracted over 120 attendees from more than 20 countries, featuring 31 invited speakers, 28 short talks selected from abstracts, two poster sessions, and a high-profile clinical panel. Nine scientific sessions covered NAD+ in cancer, sirtuin mechanisms, NAADP signaling, organellar NAD biology, aging, ADP-ribosylation, neurobiology, clinical trials with NAD precursors, and a late-breaking session. Plenary talks were delivered by Professors Mathias Ziegler and Daniela Corda.

Several cross-cutting themes emerged. In oncology, targeting NAD+ biosynthesis pathways—particularly NAMPT-dependent routes—was highlighted as a strategy against drug-resistant cancers, with NAD+-consuming enzymes like sirtuins and PARPs implicated in tumorigenesis. In neuroscience, SIRT6 and SARM1 were spotlighted as mechanistic drivers of neurodegeneration, and preliminary clinical trial results were shared for Werner syndrome, ataxia, and Parkinson's disease using NAD+ precursor supplementation. Cardiovascular talks covered NAD+ consumption by sirtuins, ADP-ribosylases, and SARM1, as well as new NAADP-mediated calcium release models. Inflammation and immunity sessions revealed novel roles for CD38, SARM1, and ADP-ribosylases in innate immunity, with applications to SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus.

The centrepiece clinical panel, 'NAD+ Health Outcomes Forum: A Call to Action,' moderated by Dr. David Katz, assembled five expert panelists to evaluate the translational state of NAD+ therapeutics. Panelists reached consensus that precursor supplementation is generally safe, that individual heterogeneity in response is a critical variable, that different precursors (NMN, NR, NAM, nicotinic acid) have meaningfully distinct pharmacokinetics and tissue distributions, and that rigorous, adequately powered clinical trials with validated biomarkers are urgently needed. New molecules identified at the meeting included novel cyclic ADPR variants, ribosylated pyridones, trigonelline, and O-acetyl-ADPR, expanding the known NAD metabolome.

The conference underscored that while preclinical evidence for NAD+ supplementation is robust across aging, metabolic, neurological, and inflammatory disease models, clinical translation remains in early stages. Key open questions include optimal dosing regimens, tissue-specific delivery, long-term safety, and which patient populations benefit most. The meeting concluded with a call for coordinated international clinical research efforts and standardized outcome measures to accelerate meaningful therapeutic development.