The course intends to provide an up-to-
date overview of the field of aging and
gerontology. While all of us intuitively
know what the aging is, many basic
questions about aging are mysterious. Is
aging itself a disease, and can we
successfully intervene in the aging
process? Or is it a program that one can
hack? The course will start with a
discussion of aging systems both from the
view of biologist but also from the point of
view of a system engenderer. We will
explore the scientific discoveries made
from studies of model organisms, which
have led to revelations about the
molecular biology of aging. We will look
at aging at different angles – from
population genetics to the “reliability
theory”. The second part of the course will
describe methods for studying aging,
descriptions of population aging, and
theories on how and why we age. We are
going to understand why older people
more likely to experience
neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, and
cancer and what kind of changes happen at
the molecular and cellular levels that are
associated with these diseases. The third
part of the course provides an in depth
discussion of the processes of aging in
various body systems. In combination with
this we will discuss some medical
treatments that can extend the lifespan of
organisms as diverse as yeast and primates,
and the implications for successfully
intervening in age-related diseases. Finally
students will explore biological changes
that occur with aging at the molecular and
organismal levels and how they can be
viewed from the perspectives of various
disciplines.
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