Part of the CRN-I 2026 Scientific Symposium Series
What does a novel vitamin B3 derivative have to do with how well we age? Quite a lot, it turns out.
The CRN-International Scientific Symposium opens its 2026 series with a deep dive into nicotinamide riboside (NR) — an NAD+ precursor with a growing body of evidence in cellular metabolism, energy production, and healthy aging. Featuring the scientist who discovered NR’s vitamin activity and the principal investigator of a landmark clinical trial demonstrating its functional effects in humans, this session bridges foundational biology and real-world outcomes.
Free. Virtual. 90 minutes.
Open to Codex delegates and observers, researchers, clinicians, policy professionals, and dietary supplement industry stakeholders worldwide.
SAVE THE DATE. REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON.
Presenters
Charles Brenner, PhD
Professor of Metabolic Regulation, University of Helsinki, with a joint appointment across the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE). Chief Scientific Advisor, Niagen Bioscience and NADMED.
Dr. Brenner discovered nicotinamide riboside as a vital NAD+ precursor in 2004 and performed the first clinical trial establishing its safe oral availability in humans. His laboratory has characterized the role of NR in conditions of metabolic stress, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetic and chemotherapeutic neuropathy, and heart failure. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Mary M. McDermott, MD
Jeremiah Stamler Professor of Medicine and Professor of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Deputy Editor, JAMA.
Dr. McDermott is a leading clinical researcher in peripheral artery disease (PAD) and principal investigator of the NICE trial, published in Nature Communications. The NICE trial demonstrated that NR meaningfully improved six-minute walk performance in people with PAD — providing landmark clinical evidence connecting NAD+ biology to functional outcomes in an aging population. She is the 2022 recipient of the American Heart Association’s Peripheral Vascular Disease Distinguished Achievement Award.
Moderator
Andrew Shao, PhD
Senior Vice President, Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Niagen Bioscience. Doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from Tufts University. Author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Shao leads Niagen Bioscience’s research, regulatory, and quality functions and has been a central figure in advancing the science and regulatory recognition of NR globally.
More on NR and NAD+
Why NR and NAD+ biology now?
- NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is the central catalyst of cellular metabolism—involved in energy production, DNA repair, and the regulation of cellular stress responses.
- NAD+ levels decline with age, and that decline has been linked to reduced mitochondrial function, impaired cellular repair, and features of age-related metabolic disease.
- Nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 that the body converts to NAD+ and is among the most well-studied nutrients with an established body of peer-reviewed human clinical trial evidence.
- NR is a commercially significant ingredient with substantial and growing global market presence. The science presented in this session is directly relevant to labeling, health claims, and regulatory discussions globally.
What the science shows
- Discovery: Our presenter, Dr. Brenner, identified NR as an NAD+ precursor in 2004 and established the enzymatic pathway (nicotinamide riboside kinases) through which it is metabolized—a finding that opened an entirely new area of NAD+ biology research.
- First human trial: Dr. Brenner conducted the first clinical trial demonstrating that oral NR is safe and orally bioavailable in humans—a foundational result that enabled all subsequent NR human research.
- Functional clinical evidence: Our presenter, Dr. McDermott’s NICE trial (published in Nature Communications) showed that NR meaningfully improved six-minute walk performance in patients with peripheral artery disease—a clinically meaningful functional outcome in a population where mobility decline is a major driver of morbidity.
- Breadth of NAD+ research: Preclinical and emerging human evidence links NR and NAD+ repletion to benefits in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chemotherapy-related neuropathy, heart failure, inflammaging, and age-related metabolic dysfunction.
SAVE THE DATE. REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON.
This session is the first in the 2026 CRN-International (CRN-I) Scientific Symposium Series, “Next-Generation Nutrients: Advancing Nutrition Science Throughout the Lifespan,” examining the maturing evidence base for a set of key nutrients with relevance from prenatal development through healthy aging.
Nutrition science is increasingly moving beyond the prevention of deficiency toward a broader understanding of how nutrients and bioactives may support resilience, functional capacity, and healthspan across the lifespan. This evolution is especially important as global health systems face the dual challenges of persistent nutrient inadequacies and rising rates of noncommunicable disease, while policymakers, healthcare professionals, and consumers seek evidence-based strategies that support proactive, whole person health.
Nutrient topics receiving particular focus include choline, the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, the xanthophyll carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and the vitamin B3 derivative, nicotinamide riboside. Across these nutrient areas, invited experts will review evidence related to health outcomes across the lifespan, including maternal and early-life nutrition, cognitive and visual function, metabolic and cellular health, healthy aging, and the maintenance of physiological resilience over time.
Speakers are encouraged to address the strength and maturity of the evidence, relevant biomarkers and clinical outcomes , current recommendations or policy developments, and remaining research gaps.
Throughout the symposium, resilience and healthspan will serve as connecting threads, examining how next-generation nutrients may support the body’s capacity to maintain function and quality of life throughout the lifespan. The symposium proceedings will be prepared for publication in the European Journal of Nutrition.