Biological Basis of Aging and Related Diseases

CIVIS focus area: Health
Open to: Master's

Phd
Field of studies: Medicine and Health
Type: Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP)
Course dates: 10 February - 13 June 2025
Apply by: 31 October 2024 Apply now

The "Biological Basis of Ageing and related Diseases" program is an interdisciplinary course that overlaps different thematic domains of the Health Hub. It is designed to explore the fundamental biological mechanisms that underlie ageing and its associated diseases. This program integrates key concepts from molecular biology, genetics, epigenetics, physiology, and pathophysiology to provide a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the ageing process and its impact on human health.

Participants will engage in a blended learning experience that combines online modules with physical activities and interactive group discussions along 11 weeks.

The participants of the BIP will:

understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning ageing; study the role of genetic and epigenetic factors in regulating lifespan; explore the function of cellular structures like telomeres and mitochondria in aging;
explore the physiology of ageing: analyze how aging affects different organs, systems and physiological functions; investigate age-related changes in metabolism, immune response, hormone regulation, and neuromuscular function; examine the interplay between lifestyle factors and physiological ageing;
examine pathophysiological aspects of aging-related diseases: identify major diseases associated with ageing, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer; understand the molecular and cellular basis of these diseases; review current research on therapeutic interventions (senotherapies/ geroprotectors) and preventative strategies;
develop practical research skills: learn and apply techniques for studying ageing and agerelated diseases; analyze and interpret experimental data;
foster critical thinking and scientific communication: critically evaluate scientific literature on aging and disease; engage in discussions and debates on contemporary issues in aging research; present research findings effectively through oral and written communication;
internationalization and networking personal communication.

Moreover, this BIP is synergistic with a range of EU COST network activities (e.g. BenBedPharma) and EU Marie Curie International Training Networks ( e.g. MINDSHIFT), which involves participation from applicants in the BIP application. These offer a potential for further networking and potential training and career pathway and progression for students in this BIP to further their training in European labs of excellence, addressing a major EU healthcare and socio-economic challenge.

Main topics addressed

Session 1: Introduction to Aging Biology. The program begins with an overview of the ageing process and its meaning from a biological perspective. Furthermore, the role of epidemiology will be addressed to elucidate risk factors for disease, injury, and disability, and their impact on ageing.
Session 2: Molecular and Cellular Basis of Ageing. This section delves into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the ageing process. Participants will explore the roles of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and protein homeostasis in aging. The impact of genetic and epigenetic regulation on lifespan will also be covered. Key topics include cellular senescence, genomic instability, and the role of telomeres and telomerase in cellular aging.
Session 3: Physiological dysfunction in Aging. Participants will study the physiological changes that occur with aging and their impact on health. Topics include age-related alterations in cardiovascular function, neurobiology, endocrine regulation, immune response, and neuromuscular function. The influence of diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors on aging will be examined.
Session 4: Aging and Related Diseases. The final section focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms of major age-related diseases. Participants will learn about the biological basis of cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), and cancer. The potential for therapeutic interventions targeting these 10s will be discussed.

Presentation and discussion of Final Projects

Participants will select a topic related to “Biological Basis of Ageing and Related Diseases”. Thereafter, they will:

perform a bibliographic review on the selected topic;
write a summary of 5 pages maximum on the bibliographic review;
perform an oral presentation with the main findings on the selected topic.

Learning outcomes

This comprehensive program equips participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to the field of aging research and addresses the pressing health challenges associated with an aging population.

At the end, the participants:

would have gained awareness of the biological of ageing and its consequences in an ageing society;
would have achieved a thorough understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying ageing;
will be able to explain how ageing affects different physiological systems;
will be able to recognize the pathophysiological basis of major age-related diseases;
will exhibit critical thinking and effective communication in scientific contexts.
would have gained interpersonal & networking transversal skills in an international environment.

Dates: 10 February - 13 June 2025	Total workload: 100 hours
Format: Blended	ECTS: 4*
Location: Glasgow, UK	Language: English (B2)
Contact: Paul.Shiels@glasgow.ac.uk; civis@glasgow.ac.uk

*Recognition of ECTS depends on your home university.

Physical mobility

The physical mobility part will take place between 9 to 13 June 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. The activities involve 20h of face-to-face activities, distributed across workshops and seminars where students can interact with experts in the field, participate in hands-on activities, and network with fellow learners. Topics will include lectures, laboratory techniques, clinical observations, or career development in ageing-related fields.

The program includes also written and oral presentations, individual evaluations, personal feedback from teachers, companies and university facilities, closing ceremony including keynote speeches from young and veteran researchers, diplomas delivery. City tours and local cultural activities will be planned to make the mobility experience the most enriching for all international participants.

Proposed schedule:

9 June 2025

registration and reception
overview presentation
Aging in the animal kingdom: why, how and how not to age.
Aging and Planetary health

10 June 2025

The Geroscience Hypothesis: future interventions in aging
The Hallmarks of aging
interactive session on canonical hallmarks and non-canonical hallmarks of aging
discussion of translational use of hallmarks and exceptions to the rule
exercise for students on identifying hallmarks and way they might have evolved.

11 June 2025

Genetic disorders and aging:

- The diseasome of aging

- Progerias

- Senotherapies and clinical interventions

group Interactive session/ tutorials/ Meet the experts session ECRs – face to face

12 June 2025

Lifecourse trajectories and comparative aging
Longitudinal studies in aging
Biomarker identification and validation
Biomimetics to study aging- what the natural world tells us about human aging
Animal models and human clinical trials
Computational modeling and big data analyses
exercises

13 June 2025

tutorial/ presentation and discussion of Day 4 exercise
wrap-up and perspectives
farewell

Social events will also be organized for students and teachers, allowing exchanges of opinions, cultures and creation of networking for further collaboration. This social program will give a chance for the participants to take advantage of the city of Glasgow and its cultural heritage. These events will be integrated with the University of Glasgow’s Science Schools 2025 and will include visits to the Hunterian Museum, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, The Burrell Collection, The People’s Palace and a traditional Scottish Celiidh.

*a survey will be conducted at the end, for further improvement of the program and teaching methods

Virtual part

The program includes 15h of face-to-face virtual meetings, spreaded along 10 weeks: 10 February - 20 May 2025 (1.5 h/week).

Video lectures and webinars on state-of-the-art topics will be a relevant but limited part of the course (30%). Instead, problem-based learning and presentations by the students will be implemented (guided by the tutors):

to study and present key publications and critically assess strengths and limitations of seminal papers in aging research;
to resolve interactive quizzes to reinforce understanding;
to present themselves and apply for a fellowship;
to produce and present a visual abstract or a public engagement poster.

Students will be provided once a week with virtual activities such as video lectures, webinars, discussion of seminal papers in aging research, group discussions, self-paced learning activities in Moodle, interactive quizzes to reinforce understanding. Each professor will decide on the activities that will be undertaken for each session.

These activities will reinforce the overall learning outcomes related to the biological bases of aging and related diseases: understanding how aging affects different physiological systems, recognize the pathophysiological basis of major age-related diseases and achieve critical thinking and effective communication in scientific contexts.

A series of webinar masterclasses/ meet the expert will be provided in advance of the face to face activity. These will cover topics including and not limited to Planetary Health and Ageing, The Bioexposome, Biomimetics, Sex and Gender in Ageing, The Demography of `Ageing and Decoupling lifespan and ageing.

Type of activities:

video lectures
webinars
discussion of seminal papers in aging research
group discussions
self-paced learning activities in Moodle
interactive quizzes

Requirements

This course is open to students at CIVIS member universities, participating in a MSc program or PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Genetics, Biomedicine, Pharmacy or similar in the field of Health sciences.

Needed skills:

awareness of the biological of ageing and its consequences in an ageing society,
thorough understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying ageing,
ability to explain how ageing affects different physiological systems,
ability to recognize the pathophysiological basis of major age-related diseases,
critical thinking in scientific contexts,
effective communication in scientific contexts,
interpersonal & networking transversal skills in an international environment.

Also, the participants should have excellent English skills (B2-C1) and and be computer-literate persons.

NB: Visiting Students - Erasmus Funding Eligibility

To be eligible for your selected CIVIS programme, you must be a fully enrolled student at your CIVIS home university at the time you will be undertaking the programme. Click here to learn more about the eligibility criteria.

Students from CIVIS’ strategic partner universities in Africa cannot apply for participation in this course.

Application process

Send your application by filling in the online application form by 31 October 2024, including:

CV
Motivation letter
Level of english (According to CEFR)

Applications will be evaluated according to the correct academic background to undertake the programme, required level of proficiency in English and how participation will enhance the candidate's professional development and career path, as well as the willingness of participants to fully participate in all aspects of the course.

Apply now

Assessment

Evaluation will be based on a series of tutors guided tasks in the virtual component of the program: weekly quizzes and self-paced learning activities in Moodle to assess comprehension of online modules, participation in sessions and group discussions, evaluation of the final research project through a written report and oral presentation, critical presentation of scientific publications.

The evaluation of each student will depend on his/ her performance during the mentoring process, as well as the result of the tasks that will be presented to the class. The participation and assistance of the students to different activities will be measured and evaluated.

Student evaluation in the physical mobility segment will be based on the performance of each student during the different activities assigned, including literature reviews/ tutorial assignment presentations and performance in group discussions.

Students need to attend at least 80% of the activities of the program to be evaluated. The virtual and physical component of the program will have an equal contribution (35%) to the final assessment of the students and the Final Research Project will represent 30% of the final mark. Evaluation will be assed as follows:

1. Virtual component (35% total marks)

individual questionnaires, quizzes and self-paced learning activities in Moodle: 40%
teamwork & presentations: 60%

2. Physical component (35% total marks)

individual Questionnaires, quizzes and self-paced learning activities in Moodle: 40%
teamwork & presentations: 60%

3. Evaluation of the Final Research Project: (30% total marks)

Blended Intensive Programme

This CIVIS course is a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP): a new format of Erasmus+ mobility which combines online teaching with a short trip to another campus to learn alongside students and professors across Europe. Click here to learn more about CIVIS BIPs.

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Trainers:

Prof. Paul Shiels, expert in Geroscience, School of Molecular Biosciences & Institute of Cancer Sciences - University of Glasgow, UK
Prof. Violeta Ristoiu, Faculty of Biology - University of Bucharest, Romania
Prof. Stephane Baudry, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences - Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Prof. Maria Isabel Sánchez Pérez, expert in Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine - Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
Prof. Manuela García López, Faculty of Pharmacology - Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
Prof. Brian Mujuni, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) - Makerere University, Uganda
Prof. Guenter Leppender, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Division of Genetics, Department of Cell Biology - Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria.

Contributors:

Prof. Manuela G. López, expert in pharmacology and neurodegenerative diseases, Faculty of Medicine (dept. Pharmacology) - Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
Prof. Concepcion Peiró, expert on vascular inflammageing and vascular cell senescence, Faculty of Medicine (dept. Pharmacology) - Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
Dr. Moses Okee, expert in Nanotechnology Key roles in Cancer Therapy - Makarere College of Health Sciences & Biological Sciences - University of Makerere, Uganda
Prof. Helen Minnis, expert on Early Life Ageing, the bio-exposome and the impact of adverse childhood exposures on adult health trajectories, School Of Health & Wellbeing - University of Glasgow, UK
Prof. Alberto Sanz, expert on mitochondrial biology and neurodegeneration, School Of Molecular Biosciences - University of Glasgow, UK
Prof. Kostas Tokaitidis, expert on mitochondrial biology and disease, School Of Molecular Biosciences - University of Glasgow, UK
Emilie Combet, expert on nutritional biology and diseases of ageing - University of Glasgow, UK
Adam Dobson, expert on model organisms of ageing, University of Glasgow, UK
Colin Selman, expert on Life course ageing, mouse models of ageing and metabolism - University of Glasgow, UK
Prof. Adoración Gomez Quiroga, expert on Drug synthesis - Faculty of Sciences (dept. of Inorganic Chemistry) - Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain