Institute of Healthy Ageing

Research Summary

Ageing is a process of gradual decline in the physiological functions of the organism. Amongst other derangements, ageing is associated with dysfunction in carbohydrate and lipid homeostatic regulatory mechanisms. Consequently, middle-aged and old individuals have a higher risk of suffering from metabolic disorders. The rapidly increasing incidence of obesity and type-2 diabetes necessitates the development of novel therapeutic agents to combat these conditions and their numerous debilitating complications.

Cell signalling pathways have been successfully targeted in the therapy of major diseases, such as cancer and inflammation. Signalling pathways that sense nutrient availability and regulate metabolic responses represent potential points of intervention for treatment of metabolic disorders. Key signalling pathways in metabolic regulation are the PI 3-Kinase (PI3K) and Target of Rapamycin (TOR) pathways.

We aim to study the mechanisms by which growth factor and nutrient sensing signalling pathways regulate metabolism and the impact of their perturbation on health in the context of ageing. We use a combination of mammalian genetics, cell based models and pharmacological approaches to identify components of cell signalling pathways which can be targeted in prevention or therapy of age-related diseases.