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This profile is tailored towards students studying biological sciences, however we expect there to be valuable open research questions that could be pursued by students in other disciplines.
Why is this a pressing problem?
The biological ageing process is the most important causal risk factor for frailty and disease. Nearly 50% of deaths worldwide occur at the age of 70 or older. As life expectancy increases over the coming decades, this number will significantly increase and most people will spend a longer time in poor health.
Research targeting major age-related diseases is flourishing, however relatively few scientists study ageing itself. To increase human healthspan effectively, it is useful to shift the focus from the individual diseases that are symptoms of ageing – such as cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s – and focus on the underlying cause. This could not only prevent the onset of fatal age-related diseases but also drastically improve the overall quality of life for the elderly.
Ageing is characterised by the functional decline of an organism over time, leading to an exponential increase in mortality. However, although various biological changes have been shown to be correlated with ageing, such as increasing DNA damage and cellular senescence, methylation changes, stem cell dysfunction and increased inflammation, it is still unknown exactly how these processes interact or how much they contribute to ageing overall.
Despite how much is still left to discover, studies have shown it is possible to increase an organism’s healthy lifespan by tackling the ageing process itself. For example, treatment with the drug rapamycin can increase the lifespan of mice by up to 60% and a drug that targets senescent cells can increase fitness, kidney function and hair density in old mice. Preliminary trials seem to support the translatability of both these and other discoveries to humans.
Watch the video below for a short introduction to the value of targeting ageing directly.
Explore existing research
- Cai, Yusheng, et al. (2022) The Landscape of Aging, Science China Life Sciences
- Gems, David & João Pedro de Magalhães (2021) The Hoverfly and the Wasp: A Critique of the Hallmarks of Aging as a Paradigm, Ageing Research Reviews
- Grey, Aubrey D. N. J. de, et al. (2002) Time to Talk SENS: Critiquing the Immutability of Human Aging, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Lopez-Otin, Carlos, et al. (2013) The Hallmarks of Aging, Cell
- Schmauck-Medina, Tomas, et al. (2022) New Hallmarks of Ageing: A 2022 Copenhagen Ageing Meeting Summary, Aging
Find a thesis topic
If you’re interested in working on this research direction, below are some ideas on what would be valuable to explore further. If you want help refining your research ideas, apply for our coaching!
This report from the Foresight Institute lists many open questions in the field as well as researchers already working on them. You could also explore the research papers linked in this profile to find areas that interest you. See this advice from Michael Rae on choosing a research question and program.
If you can’t work directly on longevity research right away, try to build skills and knowledge to apply later. Cell reprogramming, senescence research, neurodegeneration and protein aggregation, DNA repair and damage systems, autophagy, epigenetics, protein damage, inflammation, the microbiome and mitochondria are some of the areas that are particularly relevant to anti-aging research but also have many other applications.
Further resources
- For a more comprehensive introduction to the field of longevity research, see The Longevity FAQ from José Luis Ricón and Anti-Aging: State of the Art from Jack Harley.
- The Longevity Wiki is an open access education platform on ageing biology research.
- Senescence Info is another educational resource on the science of ageing.
- AgingBiotech lists a number of useful resources in the area such as books, blogs, companies and conferences.
- Ways to accelerate aging research from Adam Marblestone discusses changes needed to move the field forward.
- Human Ageing Genomic Resources is a collection of databases and tools designed to help researchers study the genetics of human ageing.
- Aging Analytics creates reports overviews of the state of the longevity research landscape.
Some introductory videos include:
- How to Become a Biogerontologist: Pursuing a Career in Aging Research – João Pedro de Magalhães
- Advice on getting started in the field of anti-ageing research – Michael Rae
- Less Death is an organisation running summer camps for those who want to begin careers in longevity technology development.
- The Foresight Institute offers one-year fellowships which include workshops, retreats and 1:1 mentorship.
- The SENS Research Foundation Summer Scholars Programme ‘offers undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct biomedical research…under the guidance of a scientific mentor.’
Apply for our coaching and we can connect you with researchers already working in this space, who can help you refine your research ideas. You can also apply to join our community if you’re interested in meeting other students working on this research direction.
Apply for our database of potential supervisors if you’re looking for formal supervision and take a look at our advice on finding a great supervisor for further ideas.
Aging Biotech maintains a list of ageing conferences here which may be helpful for making connections.
Here is a list of researchers and companies involved in longevity research.
Here are some selected research institutes and laboratories working on anti-ageing research:
- Hekimi Lab, Canada
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Germany
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, Netherlands
- Institute of Healthy Ageing – UCL, UK
- Babraham Institute, UK
- Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, UK
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, USA
- Gladyshev Lab, USA
- Kaeberlein Lab, USA
- Ocampo Lab, USA
- National Institute on Aging, USA
- The Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research, Harvard and Michigan, USA
- Rochester Aging Research Center, USA
- Brunet Lab, USA
- Wyss-Coray Lab, USA
- SENS Research Foundation, USA
- University of Washington Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute, USA
- The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging at UT San Antonio, USA
See here for a list of companies working on anti-ageing technologies.
Our funding database can help you find potential sources of funding if you’re a PhD student interested in this research direction. See the list of research labs above for programmes you could apply to.
- Sign up for our newsletter to hear about opportunities such as funding, internships and research roles.
- The FightAging! newsletter includes a weekly summary of the major research papers published in the field, as well as events and resources.
If you’re interested in working on improving human health, you could also explore our profile on reducing physical pain.
Contributors
This profile was last updated 11/11/2022. Thanks to Veerle de Goederen and William Bradshaw for originally creating this profile. Thanks to Jose Luis Ricon, Michael Rae, Cyril Lagger, Anais Equey, Patrick Wilson and Josue Ballesteros for helpful feedback. All mistakes remain our own.
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