Sunday, 10 May, PM - Opening Session - Keynote Lectures
The Sunday evening session features three keynote speakers, which will address (i) the relationship between fetal growth and late-life diseases, (ii) the relationship between aging and the presence/absence of sexual reproduction in the life history (this relates to the central role of the soma/germ-line distinction), and (iii) the potential for complex systems analysis to throw light on mechanisms of aging.
Chair:
Tom Kirkwood
- David Barker - Fetal growth and late-life disease
- Daniel Martinez - Sex, asex, and aging
- Gene Yates - Complexity and aging
Monday, 11 May, AM - Evolution and Aging
This session will be on the subject of evolution and aging and will address the latest developments in these areas, including testing the predictions of evolution theory by comparative studies.
Discussion leader:
Linda Partridge
- Jim Curtsinger - Quantitative trait locus mapping of longevity in Drosophila
- Steve Austad - Comparative studies of cell senescence
- Seymour Benzer - Life and death in Drosophila mutants
Monday, 11 May, PM - Genetics I - Transgenics and Mutants
Rapid progress is being made in the molecular analysis of mutants with altered rates of aging and in the construction of transgenic animal models in which candidate mechanisms affecting the aging process are modified. This session is designed to accommodate the latest work on the analysis of genes affecting lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans and to include work on mammalian (mouse) transgenic models of relevance, in particular, to neurodegenerative conditions where oxidative damage may play a role.
Discussion leader:
John Tower
- Julie Andersen - The role of glutathione in neurodegenerative diseases: studies in transgenic mice
- Simon Melov - Transgenic mouse models for studying the role of oxidative damage in aging
- Scott Ogg - Longevity assurance genes and diapause in C. elegans (15 mins.)
- Gordon Lithgow - Relationship between aging rates and stress resistance in C. elegans (10 mins.)
- Poster Session I
Tuesday, 12 May, AM - Cells to Systems I
A central aspect of integrative mechanims of aging is the link between age changes at the cell level and age changes at higher levels within multicelluar organisms. This session focuses on cell proliferative capacity in fibroblasts and the immune system, and the detection of senescent changes in cells in vitro and in vivo. The relationship between replicative senescence and cell immortalization is addressed using a model where cells are manipulated via temperature sensitive SV40 large T antigen expression; results have implications for cellular clocks and programs.
Discussion leader:
Olivia Pereira-Smith
- Judith Campisi - Characterisation of senescent human fibroblasts in vivo
- Rita Effros - Replicative senescence of the immune system
- Parmjit Jat - Manipulation of cell senescence/ immortalisation with temperature sensitive SV40 large T antigen expression - implications for clocks and programs
Tuesday, 12 May, PM - Cells to Systems II
A central aspect of integrative mechanims of aging is the link between age changes at the cell level and age changes at higher levels within multicelluar organisms. This session focuses on cell changes in organs, including endothelial cells, single muscle fibres, and stem cells of the intestinal crypts.
Discussion leader:
Richard Miller
- Tim McCaffrey - Age-related resistance to TGF-ß1: role of microsatellite instability in the Type II TGF-ß1 receptor
- Doug Turnbull - Mitochondrial DNA mutations in individual muscle fibres from aged individuals: potential role in age-related dysfunction
- Chris Potten - Age-related changes in the stem cells of murine intestinal crypts
- Poster Session II
Wednesday, 13 May, AM - Integrative Systems
This session focuses on integrative mechanisms such as those involved in neuroendocrine regulation of reproductive senescence, and age-associated cognitive changes attributable to dysfunction of hippocampal pathways.
Discussion leader:
James Nelson
- Phyllis Wise - Neuroendocrine factors affecting reproductive senescence
- Carol Barnes - Age-related neurobiological changes in the hippocampal spatial memory system
- Roger McCarter - Use of transgenic mice overexpressing the GLUT4 glucose transporter in the study of mechanisms of dietary restriction and aging
Wednesday, 13 May, PM - Business Meeting / Special Lecture
This session includes the GRC business meeting which will be followed by a Special Lecture to be given by Dr. George M. Martin, Professor of Pathology and Adjunct Professor of Genetics at the University of Washington, Seattle. The 1998 Gordon Conference on the Biology of Aging is to held within Dr. Martin’s seventieth year, and the intention of this special lecture is both to honor Dr. Martin’s outstanding contribution to the field and to invite his vision of future priorities, trends and directions. Dr. Martin has been involved in many of the landmark developments in the biology of aging, including the identification last year of the WRN gene whose mutation causes Werner syndrome. He is thus exceptionally well-placed to address the integrative theme of the conference.
- Business Meeting
- Special Lecture: George Martin - The pathobiology of aging: some thoughts about our future research agendas
- Poster Session III
Thursday, 14 May, AM - Genetics II - Longevity and Age-Related Diseases
Continuing from session 3, this session on genetics focuses on genes influencing human longevity and health in old age.
Discussion leader:
Eline Slagboom
- Claudio Franceschi - Human longevity genes: studies on nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of Italian centenarians
- Rudolph Tanzi - Genetics of Alzheimer’s disease
- Eugenia Wang - High-throughput studies of human functional longevity genes
Thursday, 14 May, PM - 'Simple' Eukaryote Models
The final session will be chaired by the conference Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect for the meeting in early 2000, Dr. Michal Jazwinski. This session addresses model systems such as yeast and the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina. These models are yielding important new data on molecular mechanisms influencing longevity.
Discussion leader:
Michal Jazwinski
- Heinz Osiewacz - Mitochondrial/nuclear interactions involved in the control of the life span in the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina
- Lenny Guarente - Molecular analysis of aging in yeast and mammals
- Paul A. Kirchman - Intracellular signaling, a determinant of yeast longevity
Friday, 15 May, AM - Close and Departure
