Understanding the biology of longevity and ageing using a nematode model
The nature of the biological mechanisms at the heart of the ageing process is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in science. An ideal model organism in which to study ageing is the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This species has well-developed genetics, its ~100 million base pair genome is fully sequenced, and its life span is a mere 2-3 weeks. Importantly, numerous mutations have been identified in C. elegans which alter the rate of ageing, with some mutants living up to 10-times longer than wild-type worms. By understanding ageing in a simple animal like C. elegans we hope to begin to unravel the mystery of human ageing, and the wide range of diseases that it causes, from cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, to Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

A focus of current work in this laboratory is understanding the genes and biochemical processes by which reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling and dietary restriction increase lifespan. Other interests include sex differences in the biology of ageing, the role of the microbiome in ageing, evolutionary conservation of mechanisms of ageing, the mechanisms of organismal death, and bioethical implications of ageing research. Our work is largely funded by the European Union and the Wellcome Trust.

Research Team

Ahmed Ahmed, Research technician
Catherine Au, Research technician, email: catherine.au@ucl.ac.uk
Alex Benedetto, Postdoc, email: a.benedetto@ucl.ac.uk
Filipe Cabreiro, Postdoc, email: f.cabreiro@ucl.ac.uk
Yila de la Guardia, Graduate student, email: yila.guardia.10@ucl.ac.uk
Marina Ezcurra, Postdoc, email: marina.ezcurra@ucl.ac.uk
Inna Feyst, Masters student, email: inna_feyst@yahoo.de
David Gems (PI), Professor of Biogerontology, email: david.gems@ucl.ac.uk
Ann Gilliat, Graduate student, email: ann.gilliat@gmail.com
Rosina Pryor, Masters (M.Res.) student, email: rosina.pryor.09@ucl.ac.uk
Michele Riesen, Postdoc, email: m.riesen@ucl.ac.uk
Jennifer Tullet, Postdoc, email: j.tullet@ucl.ac.uk

Positions available

June 2013. A new postdoc position working on the biology of ageing in C. elegans will be available in the Gems lab, starting from August 2013. Interested applicants are welcome to email expressions of interest and CVs to David Gems, david.gems@ucl.ac.uk. See here for further information

Recent events

March 2013: Publication in the journal Cell of new study on metformin, microbiota and ageing, see Publications

Feb 2013: Article in Scientific American features work from Gems lab

Sept, Dec 2012: Publication of two new reviews presenting a radical new view of ageing, see Publications

Short film about Gems lab work