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SFB 1506:  Aging at Interfaces

Subject Area Medicine
Biology
Term since 2022
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 450627322
 
Aging-related diseases which together contribute to age-associated elevated morbidity and mortality. Though of major and critical relevance for understanding aging, how aging “spreads” from the molecular and cellular level to affect whole organs and organisms is still not very well understood.Cellular and molecular interfaces connect functional and structural units in biological systems. They represent modules of communication between proteins, cells, tissues and organs, and at which decisions are initiated and information is passed on. Synapses or the stem-cell niche interface are examples of such interfaces. Interfaces are therefore primary regulatory hubs of multicellular organisms. Dysregulated interfaces contribute to the loss of cellular and molecular homeostasis. We hypothesize that aging-related tissue decay as well as aging-related diseases are a result of changes in both the quality and quantity of the interactions at interfaces. Such changes may be: i) protein misfolding that modulate interactions with other proteins, ii) one affected cell influencing its surrounding cells and/or iii) an aging phenotype of one tissue being conferred to another tissue. In depth knowledge on changes at interfaces will be critical to decode underlying mechanisms as well as the hierarchical order of aging in complex organisms such as mice and humans. Most importantly, novel insights might allow for the identification of novel targets for the development of therapeutic strategies. Projects within the CRC will focus on vertebrate model systems, primary human cells/tissues and a cohort of healthy elderly subjects. Aging research is in the process of moving towards a novel transition point for translation: the development of anti-aging strategies based on results from basic research. Data and knowledge generated in this CRC will contribute to this transition.
DFG Programme Collaborative Research Centres
International Connection Israel

Current projects

Applicant Institution Universität Ulm
 
 

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