The JenAge Centre aims to identify conserved transcriptional and metabolic networks activated by mild stress and to investigate their role in preserving functional integrity in old age. The generally favorable biological response of an organism to low dose exposure of stressors, called hormesis, has been repeatedly suggested to be the biological mechanism of life-extending treatments.
In addition to the use of human cell cultures JenAge will adopt a multi-species approach including worms (C. elegans), fishes (N. furzeri, D. rerio) and mice (M. musculus) to characterise network modulations by environmental, pharmacological and life-style perturbations. In an iterative process, experimental data will be communicated to the analysis and modelling groups to generate testable hypotheses which will in turn be validated by genetic and other manipulations in model organisms. This systems biology strategy will be supplemented by automatic text mining and database development.
The general JenAge objective is to gain new insights into the complex interplay of maintenance and repair networks that govern the lifelong accumulation of damage and finally lead to age-related diseases and death. Overall, the knowledge acquired within this initiative will contribute to sustained health in an ageing society.