Four Biologists Join to Explain the Biological
Reasons for Aging to International Gathering
Aging occurs because our complex biological
molecules become dysfunctional over time as the energy they need
diminishes
June 23, 2009 – New insights make it possible to
understand the biological reasons for aging, according to Leonard Hayflick, former president of the Gerontological Society of America. Dr.
Hayflick will be joined by three other biologists to describe the
underlying causes of aging at the World Congress of Gerontology and
Geriatrics, taking place from July 5–9, 2009, in Paris, France.
The presentation, titled “Ageing Is no Longer an
Unsolved Problem,” is being supported by the
Ellison Medical Foundation and co-sponsored by
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).
Hayflick, PhD, a professor of anatomy at the
University of California, San Francisco, says that the accumulation of
new insights has made it possible, for the first time, to understand the
biological reasons for the aging of animals and humans.
“Aging occurs because the complex biological
molecules of which we are all composed become dysfunctional over time as
the energy necessary to keep them structurally sound diminishes. Thus,
our molecules must be repaired or replaced frequently by our own
extensive repair systems,” Hayflick said.
“These repair systems, which are also composed of
complex molecules,” he explained, “eventually suffer the same molecular
dysfunction.
“The time when the balance shifts in favor of the
accumulation of dysfunctional molecules is determined by natural
selection — and leads to the manifestation of age changes that we
recognize are characteristic of an old person or animal. It must occur
after both reach reproductive maturity, otherwise the species would
vanish.”
Hayflick also noted that these repair and
maintenance systems are called “determinants of longevity,” which is a
phenomenon different from the aging process itself.
“These fundamental molecular dysfunctional events
lead to an increase in vulnerability to age-associated disease,” he
said. “Therefore, the study, and even the resolution of age-associated
diseases, will tell us little about the fundamental processes of aging.”
Hayflick’s discoveries - described in his book,
“How and Why We Age” - have been reinforced by several other leading
biologists, who will join him at the Paris symposium.
These co-presenters include
● Robin Holliday, PhD, of the Australian Academy of Science, author of
“Understanding Ageing”;
● Steven Austad, PhD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center
at San Antonio, author of “Why We Age”; and
● Thomas Kirkwood, PhD, of Newcastle University, author of “Time of
Our Lives.”
The World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics is
hosted by the
International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics every four
years. For more information, visit
http://www.gerontologyparis2009.com.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest
and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research,
education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of
the Society — and its 5,000+ members — is to advance the study of aging
and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the
general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the
National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the
Association of Gerontology in Higher Education.
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World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics
