"What is particularly exciting about this approach is that altering an animal's genetic make-up seems able to slow down many diseases of ageing simultaneously," says Dr David Gems, a co-recipient of the award. "For example, mice remain youthful for longer and have glossy fur with slowed appearance of grey hair. Their eyes are unclouded by cataracts, and they are more active, both physically and sexually."
The researchers hope to explore how their findings in the animal models relate to the human ageing process, in particular neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Explaining why the Wellcome Trust has made the award, Dr Alan Schafer, Head of Molecular and Physiological Sciences at the Trust, says: "The number of researchers who are attracted into the ageing field in the UK has historically been low because of limited funding and career opportunities. As we move towards a more ageing population both in the UK and worldwide, it is crucial that we both bolster our existing efforts and that we attract a new generation of the best and brightest scientists into this exciting field of research. The UK has the potential to be one of the world leaders in this area and we are pleased to be able to support Linda and her colleagues."
The majority of the research will take place at the new Institute of Healthy Ageing at UCL, due to open in 2008. The UCL team will continue its current collaboration with the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, near Cambridge, which is essential for analysing, modelling and understanding the data.
Key to the success of the Institute of Healthy Ageing will be the focus on multi-disciplinary collaboration. The research will receive inputs from subjects ranging from biogerontology (
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Contact: Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust
13-Jun-2007