Animal studies suggest that ageing can be treated like a disease. But what about longevity trials in humans? Should future doctors treat aging, a natural process? Is it the ultimate disease prevention? Is it ethically justifiable? The Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology is organizing a symposium on these questions on March 5, 2024 from 4-6 PM on the topic "Should we treat ageing?" in the lecture hall of the German Heart Center Munich.
"Several research groups have investigated various measures in animal experiments that have extended the lifespan of mice," says Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage, Head of the TUM Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology. "Now we are faced with the challenge of how we can investigate this in humans. One approach is to determine people's biological age and then try to delay it by means of an intervention."
The keynote speaker will be Prof. Dr. Vijay Yadav from Columbia University in New York, who was the lead author of an article in the journal "Science" in 2023, in which taurine was identified as the driving force behind ageing. The symposium will be opened by Prof. Wackerhage, who will speak on the topic "Should we treat ageing?". Afterwards, Prof. Dr. Karima Djabali, Head of the TUM Professorship of Epigenetics of Skin Aging, will report on her research and therapeutic approaches to the rare genetic disease Progeria, in which affected children age at a time-lapse rate.
Prof. Wackerhage will also be giving a lecture on taurine at the "Turn Around Aging" conference at Künstlerhaus München on Friday, March 8, 2024, which is being organized by Nina Ruge, TV presenter and author. As part of the conference, the future topic of "Longevity" will be discussed. Visitors will receive an introduction to the field of "Healthy Longevity", an overview of the influence of lifestyle factors, nutritional supplements, hormone replacement therapy and other interventions on healthy longevity, as well as an outlook on future therapies in this area.
In addition, Prof. Dr. Manfred Blobner, Managing Senior Physician of the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University Hospital rechts der Isar, is organizing the "HyperMet Symposium: Human skeletal muscle atrophy" on March 12, 2024, which will take place in Lecture Hall D of the University Hospital rechts der Isar. In addition to Prof. Blobner, who will speak on "ICU-acquired muscle weakness", Dr. Maria Rohm, Group Leader at the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer at Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, will give a lecture on "Cancer cachexia". Prof. Wackerhage will then provide insights into "HyperMet: Effects of hypertrophy and atrophy on metabolic health". The Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology was successful with a preliminary application for a DFG research group on this topic, in which a total of nine high-ranking partners are involved.
The symposium will conclude with a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Stuart Philipps from McMaster University (Hamilton/Canada), who will address the topic "The 'Power' of Protein in Promoting Growth and Mitigating Loss: From Health to Age and Disease".
"Prof. Philipps has published many studies on muscle biopsies and is one of the most cited scientists in the world in his field with an H-index of 136," explains Prof. Wackerhage. "He is also one of the cooperation partners in our HyperMet full proposal. In this respect, we are very much looking forward to him coming to Munich and presenting his research to us."
To the homepage of the Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology
To the conference „Turn Around Aging“ in the Künstlerhaus München
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage
Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24480
e-mail: Henning.Wackerhage(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photos/Graphics: Associate Professorship of Exercise Biology/Andreas Heddergott/TUM