OxAgeN - the Oxford Ageing Network | Cox Lab of Ageing and Cell Senescence

OxAgeN aims to bring together researchers with an interest in ageing and promoting better health in later life. The group encompasses basic and translational scientists, clinicians and social scientists within (but not restricted to) Oxford. We will run three networking meetings a year and provide a forum for free exchange of ideas and novel findings to promote rapid progress in ageing.

Membership is open to those within the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, as well as the Oxford University Hospitals Trusts and local clinical practices. We are non-hierarchical and welcome students and staff.

Biological ageing research in Oxford encompasses every step along the ageing pathway, from understanding the individual genes and proteins involved, to model organism studies of longevity and healthspan, through to disease models, drug discovery pipelines (eg UK SPINE - https://www.kespine.org.uk/) and human clinical trials. As well as biomedical research on ageing, social and economic impacts of ageing are well-studied (Oxford Institute of Population Ageing - https://www.ageing.ox.ac.uk/), as are ethical considerations and future strategies (Oxford Martin School - https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/ageing/). Whilst spread over a number of Departments throughout the University, there is an integrated approach to ageing research with inter-lab collaborations, and major network initiatives such as OXDARE (https://oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/our-work/oxdare/) and most recently OxAgeN and Oxford Research Collaborative Hub (https://www.archub.ox.ac.uk/).

Those working on the basic biology of ageing benefit from a wealth of expertise from related labs working on development, neurobiology, stem cells and cancer, together with support from structural biophysics, proteomics, computational modelling, systems biology and ultra-high resolution microscopy, and access to the Diamond light source, the Structural Genomics Consortium and the Target Discovery Institute. This combination of world class expertise makes Oxford a vibrant centre for ageing research.

COVID-19:

Global data show that older people are hit the hardest by infectious diseases including influenza and the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

It is vital that efforts to develop new treatments for COVID-19 and other serious respiratory infections factor in ageing and in particular how older people’s immune systems differ from those of younger people. Biogerontology, or the study of the biology of ageing, has helped to highlight ways in which it should be possible to strengthen the body's ability to fight off the virus without going into overdrive, called 'cytokine storm', that can result in critical illness and death. Please do contact us if you are interested in leveraging ageing research to improve health and immunity in older people.

Autophagy and lysosomes in ageing

The next OxAgeN meeting will be on the theme of autophagy and lysosomes.

Confirmed speakers:

Prof Fran Platt, Department of Pharmacology
Prof Richard Wade-Martins, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics
Prof Colin Goding, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Prof Katja Simon, The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology

Autophagy is a core process that allows cells to regulate their nutrient balance and to break down intracellular components for general recycling of old, worn-out proteins and organelles, and to cope with periods of starvation. Mitophagy is a specialised form of autophagy whereby mitochondria are broken down and building blocks recycled. Fusion of autophagomes with lysosomes is critical for completion of autophagy. Dysfunctional autophagy is a feature of cell senescence and widely associated with diseases of ageing including Parkinson’s disease.

OxAgeN - the Oxford Ageing Network

COVID-19 and ageing

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Upcoming meetings

Autophagy and lysosomes in ageing