Global partnership aims to alleviate age-related functional declines and promote healthy aging

A global partnership led by Lancaster University will promote collaborative, multidisciplinary research that aims to alleviate the development of age-related functional declines and thus promote healthy aging.

Population aging is a global issue which can be associated with increased prevalence of poor health of older people, implications for family caring for them, and also poses challenges to healthcare, society and economics. Research in aging currently focuses on many different aspects of aging from cell to the society but these disciplines often work in isolation.

Following an investment by UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) securing better health, aging and wellbeing strategic theme, four UK Ageing Research Networks (CFIN, Food4Years, MyAge and BLAST) are forming a partnership with institutes across the South Asia region, including in India and Malaysia, to address this challenge.

The primary aim of this South Asia Global Partnership, led by the Cognitive Frailty Interdisciplinary Network (CFIN) based at Lancaster University, is to promote collaborative, multidisciplinary aging research that moves along the pathway from basic laboratory studies through to having a real impact on lives. By identifying synergies with aging networks focusing on nutrition and muscle loss (Food4Years and MyAge) and development of animal models (BLAST), the proposed activities will focus on research that alleviates the development of age-related cognitive frailty and related reduced healthspan and poor quality of life.

This consortium of aging research networks in the UK in partnership with international researchers in India and Malaysia is an exciting opportunity to establish a global network that integrates research on aging in a truly multidisciplinary way. We aim to break down barriers in understanding, identify synergies in research and thus promote the discovery of effective interventions to improve, delay or even prevent the development of cognitive declines in aging."

Dr Sue Broughton, Division of Biomedical & Life Sciences, Lancaster University and Deputy Director of CFIN