Institute of Healthy Ageing

• Home
• More about the IHA
  • IHA Governance
  • History
• Public Engagement
• Linda Partridge
• Principal Investigators
• IHA students
• Vacancies
• Contact us
• Staff Intranet
• IHA News

---

The Institute of Healthy Ageing (Director: Prof Dame Linda Partridge, FMedSci, FRS, DBE, CBE) is an interdisciplinary centre of excellence for research on the biology of ageing and ageing-related diseases.The biological process of ageing contributes to increased risk of a wide range of diseases, from neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease) and cancer to cardiovascular disease (causing heart attack and stroke) and age-related macular degeneration (causing blindness in the elderly).

Our primary purpose is to bring together researchers working on the basic biology of ageing (biogerontology) with those working to understand the causes of ageing-related disease. By merging the two, we aim to develop a new translational biogerontology using the ageing process as a point of intervention to protect against the diseases of old age. Our goal is to improve the health and quality of life for older people.

The work of the Institute of Healthy Ageing is pursuing these ends by:

• Conducting world class research on the biology of ageing and ageing-related disease
• Increasing capacity in research on the biology of ageing by training new researchers and nurturing the work of younger principal investigators
• Teaching about the biology of ageing at undergraduate and postgraduate levels

The problem of ageing is not just an issue of biology, but also of social science, economics and the built environment. A secondary aim of the Institute is to nurture broader collaborations across UCL between researchers working on different aspects of ageing.

We aim, through our combined activities, to transform healthcare technology and the social conditions of the elderly to create a future society in which the lives of older people are healthy, meaningful and happy. 

Our facilities are shared with the associated Bähler Lab, headed by Professor Jürg Bähler - for more information on his work, please see here.

The work of the Institute is funded by a variety of sources including UCL itself, the ERC, BBSRC, MRC, CRUK, Max Planck, Age UK, the Alzheimer's Research Trust, the Glenn Foundation and the Wellcome Trust by means of a Strategic Award. 

We are extremely grateful to all of our sponsors for providing us with the wherewithal to continue our work.

---

Upcoming events

Royal Society 2012 Summer Science Exhibition – a team of scientists from the IHA, in tandem with UCL’s Bahler lab, will be exhibiting at this year’s exhibition which will be held from 3rd to 8th July at the Society’s Carlton House Terrace home.   The Summer Science Exhibition showcases cutting-edge research, providing a unique opportunity for members of the public to interact with scientists - and vice versa!  Led by Dr Matt Piper, the IHA teams’ stand will be entitled ‘Living healthier for longer: research to enhance lifelong health’. We will aim to highlight, explain and discuss cutting edge biogerontological research and its recent breakthroughs that indicate we can experimentally manipulate ageing. For further information on the Exhibition, see the Royal Society's website.

---

Links, UCL

• CRUCIBLE A new centre for interdisciplinary research on health & wellbeing
  
• School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS)
• Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS)
• Division of Biosciences
• Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment (GEE)
• Centre for Ageing & Mental Health Sciences
• Institute of Neurology
• Institute of Ophthalmology

Links, External

• Research into Ageing
• The Wellcome Trust

^ Back to Top