Biology of ageing

Our biological research theme, which has at its heart, inflammation and the contribution to ageing, 'inflammageing'.

There are a series of projects within the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation and a specific initiative on skin ageing, funded through collaboration with industry.

The SENSE-Cog project is a key project to improve mental wellbeing for older Europeans. The five-year SENSE-Cog project, led by The University of Manchester, aims to investigate the scale of combined sensory and cognitive problems, assess the combined impact and develop new tools that could improve quality of life and optimise health and social care budgets across Europe.

The project seeks to define the scale of the challenges so that authorities across the continent can allocate resources more optimally. Researchers have been developing online tests, guides and multi-lingual training manuals to help medical professionals diagnose and treat the combined problems more effectively.

Projects

Two older people sat on a grassy hill.

Skin lipids and microbiota in healthy ageing

Researching the changes that skin goes through as we age, to help promote healthy skin ageing.
An older lady wearing a hearing aid.

The SENSE-Cog project

Investigating sensory and cognitive problems in over 65s to improve health and social care budgets in Europe.
A dark cloudy sky.

Cloudy with a chance of pain

Researching how weather affects long-term pain conditions to better develop treatments.
A hand holding three pills (two white and one blue).

Identifying a new drug target for Alzheimer's disease

Developing new small molecule inhibitors of inflammation that could be used to treat dementia.
A South Asian older man wearing a mask.

Recognition of symptoms of dementia in South Asian elders

Seeking to improve understanding of the factors that determine the recognition of and consultation for memory problems among South Asian older people.