Close
Description
Biology of Ageing covers evolutionary and mechanistic theories of ageing; comparative biology of ageing; the new model organism genetics of lifespan (eg C. elegans, Drosophila, mouse); methods in ageing research (eg functional genomic analysis); the biology of dietary restriction; cellular senescence and senotherapy, telomeres and cancer; ageing-related disease; the biology of insulin signalling, energy handling and associated diseases (eg diabetes and obesity); stem cell ageing; epigenetic clocks; prospects for treatments for ageing; and social and ethical issues relating to research on ageing. As well as lectures there are three small group tutorials, some lead by researchers at UCL鈥檚 Institute of Healthy Ageing.
Learning objectives
- To attain a good grasp of the various facets of the biology of ageing and longevity (evolutionary biology, biodemography, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, endocrinology, etc) and the relationship between them.
- To understand the main theories of ageing, in terms of evolutionary and proximate mechanisms.
- To understand some of the major diseases of ageing, and their etiologies in the underlying biology of ageing.
- Discuss controversial ethical, philosophical and social issues relating to this work.
- To realize how incredibly interesting the biology of ageing is.
Indicative lecture topics 鈥� based on module content in 2023/24
- Introduction to ageing
- Mechanistic theories of ageing
- Damage and maintenance
- Evolution of ageing
- Comparative biology of ageing
- The biology of immortality
- Genetics of ageing in model organisms
- Functional genomic analysis of ageing
- Dietary restriction
- Theories of ageing: Damage or programme?
- Programmatic ageing听and epigenetic clocks
- Cellular senescence and cancer
- Genetics of human ageing and neurodegeneration
- Stem cells and ageing
- Immunosenescence
- Age-related metabolic diseases
- Inflammaging and age-related disease
- Ageing and the microbiome
- Psychosocial influences on ageing
- Reprogramming ageing
- Translation: Treatments for human ageing
- Impact on human society of ageing research
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
听