How to slow the effects of ageing
Leading scientists from Australia and the world will gather to examine the latest research into ageing and associated conditions, at the second Australian Biology of Ageing Conference in Sydney.
The older population bears the overwhelming burden of non-communicable disease, with conditions often treated and researched in isolation.
With ageing now viewed as a programmed, biological phenomenon, there is the possibility that interventions could be used to treat a broad range of diseases, and drastically reduce health spending.
Next week over 120 researchers from diverse fields will share their latest evidence in the effort to slow the effects of ageing.
Hosted by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre (CPC), with the support of the Ageing and Alzheimers Institute and City of Canada Bay, the conference will be held in Sydney on 27 and 28 April.
Professor Leonard Hayflick
The ‘grandfather’ of ageing biology, Professor Leonard Hayflick from the University of California in San Francisco, will present the keynote McKnight Oration. Outlining his significant contribution towards understanding the fundamental cause of ageing – including his 1961 discovery of the Hayflick Limit, the number of times a cell divides before it stops – Professor Hayflick will also describe his new work examining the sexual determination of longevity.
Professor Stephen Simpson, Academic Director at the Charles Perkins Centre, said the conference would highlight the benefits of the Centre’s innovative approach to research and teaching.
“The Charles Perkins Centre brings together scholars from a wide range of disciplines to look at the big picture of problems facing our world, to examine a problem from all angles and explore the interconnectedness of our environment, food and health,” he said.
“Much of this work has relevance for efforts to slow ageing, from research into the impact of nutrition and diet on health to the links between oral health and cardiovascular disease and more.
Our collaborative approach is making real strides in understanding and treatment that can transform lives.”
Other topics and speakers include:
- Can eating less really increase lifespan for everyone? Dr Rafael de Cabo Chief, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, NIH (USA).
- How looking after our teeth can prevent heart disease. Professor Joerg Eberhard, Chair of Lifespan Oral Health in the University of Sydney's Faculty of Dentistry and Charles Perkins Centre.
- Does the type of protein we eat matter for healthy ageing? Dr Rosilene Waern, University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
- How do we manage pain as we get older? Professor Fiona Blyth, University of Sydney's Sydney Medical School.
A conference dinner will be held on Thursday 27 August, with award-winning author Charlotte Wood speaking about her new novel on ageing that was written while the inaugural Charles Perkins Centre’s writer-in-residence.
Professor David Le Couteur AO, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Sydney and Scientific Director of the Ageing and Alzheimers Institute, will also speak about his experience as a clinical pharmacologist and geriatrician.
The conference is open to the public.
