Healthy Ageing: The Hype and the Hope
Human life expectancy has been increasing across the world. This is to be celebrated, but is also revealing ageing to be the major risk factor for most diseases. Surprisingly, ageing has proved to be malleable, and health during ageing can be increased and lifespan extended in animals by genetic and environmental interventions. The mechanisms involved are highly conserved in evolution, and there are increasing indications that many age-related diseases could be delayed or prevented by drugs. This talk will discuss some recent discoveries, including the prospect for re-purposing existing drugs to protect against the effects of ageing.
224th Lecture Series Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow
Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Time: 19:30 - 21:00
Venue: Charles Wilson Building, Lecture Theatre 201
Category: Public lectures
Speaker: Professor Dame Linda Partridge
Human life expectancy has been increasing across the world. This is to be celebrated, but is also revealing ageing to be the major risk factor for most diseases. Surprisingly, ageing has proved to be malleable, and health during ageing can be increased and lifespan extended in animals by genetic and environmental interventions. The mechanisms involved are highly conserved in evolution, and there are increasing indications that many age-related diseases could be delayed or prevented by drugs, including existing drugs. This talk will discuss some recent discoveries, including the prospect for re-purposing existing drugs to protect against the effects of ageing.