2023 Biology of Aging Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary This application requests funds to support the 2023 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on the Biology of Aging, to be held at Rey Don Jaime Grand Hotel in Castelldefels (Spain) on July 2–7, 2023, and the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which will be held at the same location on July 1–2, 2023, immediately prior to the GRC. This will be the sixteenth Biology of Aging meeting since its origin in 1962. While geriatrics and gerontology societies and their conferences have focused on the medical, social, and psychological consequences of aging, in the most recent two decades there has been an explosion of knowledge on underlying mechanisms of the aging process. While the biology of aging is still a relatively new field, this GRC has become the premier forum for unpublished data presentation and discussions, resulting in a meeting where one can view exciting current science and see the future directions of the field. This meeting is unique in its diversity, reflected in the theme of the 2023 conference: “Evolving concepts of organismal aging”. Aging research over the past decades has made great strides to identify key hallmarks of aging at an increasingly detailed molecular and cellular resolution. These advances have led to the growing recognition that aging is malleable and subject to interventions not just at the cellular level or in invertebrates but possibly in a range of vertebrates and even humans. At the same time, rapid advances in technology and the expansion of the experimentally tractable model organisms have facilitated the study of aging from an ever-broader perspective of entire complex organisms. These studies paint a much more intricate picture of systemic aging, and they offer unprecedented new insight into interactions between host defense, the central nervous system, microbiota, and the process of aging. This GRC will highlight some of these emerging top-down approaches to understanding aging with a focus on immune aging, neural control, and the microbiome. Participating scientists will present basic studies in invertebrate model organisms, as well as studies in higher organisms. Appropriately, the talks and posters will reflect the diversity of the biology of aging by ranging from molecular studies to understanding how aging impacts numerous cellular and organ systems and organisms. We will also hear exciting work on interventions to modulate aging. The meeting will incorporate a panel discussion, mentoring lunch, and numerous networking opportunities. Our multifaceted approach to meet the objectives of this meeting include: i) A program rich in scientific diversity of topic and approach; ii) An atmosphere to promote interdisciplinary collaborations and stimulate scientific exchange; iii) Mentoring opportunities to promote interactions between junior investigators and senior, established investigators; and iv) Support of individual diversity in participation.