With every hour, minute, second and moment, we age. Aging affects everyone. Every day. Throughout our lives. Due to the increasing life expectancy, our society is changing - the proportion of older people is increasing. For the future of humanity and our society, it is therefore important to be able to both prevent and treat the rapidly increasing number of age-related diseases in the future. The Cluster of Excellence CECAD (Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases) is an interdisciplinary research network consisting of the University of Cologne and the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging as well as the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research and the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), which focuses on researching and deciphering molecular mechanisms of aging and age-associated diseases. In the latest episode of the science podcast "exzellent erklärt", two researchers from CECAD explain to podcaster Larissa Vassilian what everybody can do to grow old healthier.
Prof. Maria Cristina Polidori and Prof. Björn Schumacher are both doing research on aging. Prof. Polidori is a doctor at the University Hospital and his idea is to become active before the onset of diseases in old age. Prof. Schumacher works in the laboratory and is investigating a so-called aging clock, a genetic test designed to provide information about how our biological age changes - for example, due to factors such as an unhealthy diet or smoking. With their precise measurement methods, it could soon be possible to document the success or failure of therapies at an early stage and then adjust them.
However, this area of research is not about making us immortal. Rather, it is important that we grow old healthily and do not slip into so-called multimorbidity, i.e. developing several chronic diseases at the same time.
The German science podcast on current science topics reflects the research diversity of Germany’s leading research institutions and Clusters of Excellence: from Africa Studies to Quantum Physics. In each episode, listeners can expect insights into the interdisciplinary work of one research network. The researchers of the clusters of excellence, funded by DFG talk to podcaster Larissa Vassilian about how they want to find scientifically based answers to relevant topics of our time – for the society of tomorrow. Listen in and follow us: https://exzellent-erklaert.podigee.io/