A new touring exhibition on the ‘bioscience of ageing’ highlights UK research into the challenges of an ageing population.
Paul Wicks
The message is stark: “The UK population is getting older. By 2031 one in four people will be over 65 and life expectancy will be 86 for women and 82 for men”.
So said Lord Sutherland on 12 November, as he launched the Bioscience of Ageing exhibition at One Great George Street. The exhibition, which will visit Newcastle, Cambridge, Edinburgh and the Cheltenham Festival, highlights basic scientific studies in the field. At each venue, panels of scientists will explain their research to the public.
Local leaders in research
The new exhibition highlights several pieces of work taking place in London and the South East. Notably, studies at UCL’s Centre for Research on Ageing, which examines worm, fly and mice models of improved health during ageing.
Professor Linda Partridge from the Centre gave a short presentation highlighting the importance of basic research. Her lab found that dietary and genetic interventions are not only capable of increasing animal life span but also reduce the risk of age-related conditions such as osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer.
Professor Carol Brayne from Cambridge spoke passionately about the need for population-based epidemiology when considering ageing populations. She emphasised that extrapolating findings from specialist tertiary referral centres wouldn’t necessarily generalise to the broader population, particularly when there was so much regional variability in the health of older people.
Finally, Professor Janet Lord from the University of Birmingham spoke about a very topical issue: the increased vulnerability of older people to opportunistic infections such as C. difficile or MRSA. Her group studies neutrophils, a component of the immune system involved in combating bacteria. They found that the neutrophil system in older people is compromised and less likely to completely eradicate all pathogens. In a clinical study comparing the immune function of older (aged 65+) and younger people who had suffered a hip fracture, 40% of the older group were hospitalised with a secondary infection a few months after the initial trauma; by comparison none of the younger group were affected.
Live longer, live healthier
Lord Sutherland was clear that the UK needs to take a strategic view on tackling the problems of an ageing population. Although people are living longer, they are not necessarily healthy or enjoying good quality of life in those extra years.
Sutherland has previously chaired two related forums: a study looking at positive ageing in Scotland and the Royal Commission on Long Term Care for the Elderly.
The launch event was co-hosted by Ian Pearson, MP, Minister for Science and Innovation at DIUS who highlighted multidisciplinary projects funded by several research councils. The recently formed UK Age Research Forum, for example, draws upon the expertise of research councils, healthcare professionals and charities.
The research councils have jointly created three centres themed around Lifelong health and wellbeing, and the recent launch of the Assisted Living Innovation Platform, a £12m body of work looking at how technology and health can be combined to improve quality of life.
The Bioscience of Ageing exhibition’s current tour dates are:
Centre for life, Newcastle
15 November 2007–February 2008
Cambridge University Horizon seminar
4 December 2008
Edinburgh Science Festival
25 March–5 April 2008
Cheltenham Science Festival
4–8 June 2008
The exhibition is free but some venues may charge separately for entry.
More details will be available on the BBSRC website soon.