Workshop: Heterogeneity of Aging – New Perspectives

Group of scientists examine results from a microscope

Audience

Researchers and clinicians at all career stages who are interested in the heterogeneity of aging, and its role in precision geroscience and addressing health disparities.

Dates

June 21, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

Purpose and Background

Aging is a complex biological process with remarkable individual and population variation. In May 2023, the Division of Aging Biology at NIA convened the virtual workshop “Heterogeneity and Successful Aging” to discuss how the determinants of prolonged health can be identified by investigating heterogeneity.

This follow-up workshop on June 21, 2024, organized jointly by the NIA Intramural and Extramural Programs focused on the translation of research findings into improved health. It aimed to:

  1. Defined heterogeneity in different research contexts
  2. Taught about methodological approaches to study the heterogeneity of aging
  3. Proposed approaches to translate knowledge about heterogeneity into improved outcomes for all older adults and elimination of health disparities
  4. Identified gaps and opportunities in this field of research (for example, in establishing multidisciplinary teams, reaching and including diverse populations, standardizing measurements, developing models, implementing data sharing, and developing tools for direct experimental and clinical applications)

Agenda

Friday, June 21

9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions, Tiziana Cogliati, Ph.D., Division of Aging Biology (DAB), National Institute on Aging (NIA)

9:05 a.m. Opening Remarks, Stacy Carrington-Lawrence, Ph.D., Division of Aging Biology (DAB), National Institute on Aging (NIA)

9:15 a.m. Report from "NIA DAB Workshop: Heterogeneity and Successful Aging", Tiziana Cogliati, Ph.D., Division of Aging Biology (DAB), National Institute on Aging (NIA)

9:25 a.m. Heterogeneity of Heterogeneity: Finding Meaning and a Path Forward, George Kuchel, M.D., C.M., FRCP, AGSF, University of Connecticut

9:55 a.m. Session I: Heterogeneity from Cells to Organisms

9:55 a.m. Cellular Heterogeneity with Aging: The Known and the Unknown, Laura Niedernhofer, M.D., Ph.D., University of Minnesota

10:30 a.m. Dissecting the Link between Aging, Tissue Heterogeneity and Cancer, Peter Adams, Ph.D., Sanford Burnham Prebys

11:05 a.m. Lessons on Heterogeneity of Aging from the Study of Longitudinal Aging in Mice (SLAM), Maria Emilia Fernandez, Ph.D., NIA

11:40 a.m. Heterogeneity Modeling Using Proteomic Data, Chia-Ling Kuo, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

12:15 p.m. Lunch Break

1:15 p.m. Session II: New Molecular and Computational Technologies

1:15 p.m. Transcriptional Noise, Cellular Senescence and Tissue Aging: Models and Algorithms for Single Cell Data, Nancy Zhang, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

1:50 p.m. Understanding and Monitoring Immune Aging at Single-Cell Resolution, Maxim Artyomof, Ph.D., Washington University of St. Louis

2:25 p.m. Disentangling Cell Type Heterogeneity in Aging Using Machine Learning and Comparative Genomics, Andreas Pfenning, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University

3:00 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. Session III: New Perspectives for Human Health and Health Equity

3:30 p.m. Heterogeneity: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Luigi Ferrucci, M.D., Intramural Program, NIA

4:05 p.m. Systems-to-Phenotype Heterogeneity: Implications for Healthier, More Equitable Aging, Karen Bandeen-Roche, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

4:40 p.m. Panel Discussion

5:30 p.m. Workshop Adjourns

Contact Information

Please contact Tiziana Cogliati at tiziana.cogliati@nih.gov for questions you may have about the workshop.

Reasonable Accommodations: If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the meeting organizer listed under Contact information. Please make your request no later than 1 week before the event.