Understanding Aging: Biomedical and Bioengineering Approaches

The early registration and abstract submission deadlines are both May 15th. The conference is organised jointly by me, Irina Conboy of UC Berkeley, and Amy Wagers of Harvard. All details, including forms for abstract submission and online registration, are at the conference website:

June 27, 2007 - Preconference Seminar
http://www.mfoundation.org/ADCI/

June 28-29, 2007
http://www.mfoundation.org/UABBA/

The preliminary program already has over two dozen confirmed speakers, all of them world leaders in their field. As for previous conferences I have [co-]organised, the emphasis of this meeting is on “applied biogerontology”—the design and implementation of biomedical interventions that may, jointly, constitute a comprehensive panel of rejuvenation therapies, sufficient to restore middle-aged or older laboratory animals (and, in due course, humans) to a youthful degree of physiological robustness. The list of scientific sessions and confirmed speakers is as follows:

DNA damage, telomeres, cancer
Adam Arkin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Jan Vijg, Buck Institute for Age Research; Jerry Shay, U. Texas Southwestern; Claudia Gravekamp, Pacific Medical Center Research Institute; Zheng Cui, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Rita Effros, UCLA

The cell niche
Irina Conboy, U. California Berkeley; Judith Campisi, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Buck Institute; Leanne Jones, Salk Institute; Ken Muneoka, Tulane University; Kevin Healy, Stanford University

Accumulation of damaged molecules
Bruce Rittmann, Arizona State University; Ana Maria Cuervo, Albert Einstein University; Marisol Corral-Debrinski, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie; Richard Hanson, Case Western Reserve University

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Oregon National Primate Research Center; Stephen Badylak, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Amy Wagers, Joslin Diabetes Center; David Schaffer, U. California Berkeley; Tony De Tomaso, Stanford University School of Medicine

In addition there will be short talks selected from submitted abstracts, as well as poster sessions each evening.

Furthermore, registration for the conference includes preferential admission to the free public preconference “Aging: the disease, the cure, the implications” which will be held in the 1800-seater Royce Hall, UCLA, on the evening of Friday June 27th, and to the dinner and reception following. This preconference will put the postponement of aging more firmly on the political and social map than ever before.

It will consist of presentations by at least six illustrious speakers, including: William Haseltine, Haseltine Global Health, founder of Human Genome Sciences Bruce Ames, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, National Medal of Science awardee Michael West, Biotime Inc., founder of Geron and Advanced Cell Technology Daniel Perry, Director of the Alliance for Aging Research Gregory Stock, UCLA Program on Medicine, technology and Society and Signum Biosciences

Please note that registration fees are fully inclusive of three nights’ accommodation and all meals. Journalists wishing to obtain press passes are asked to contact the Methuselah Foundation for more information.

I hope to welcome you to Los Angeles in June!

Aubrey de Grey
Co-Chair, “Understanding Aging: Biomedical and Bioengineering Approaches”
Chairman and Chief Science Officer, Methuselah Foundation
Editor-in-Chief, Rejuvenation Research (impact factor 8.353)