modelling aspects of agingtaming project
Quentin.vanhaelen
Hello everyone
My name is Quentin Vanhaelen, I am a new member of the lifeboat foundation (see bio...). My area of research is at the crossroad
between mathematical modeling , numerical simulation of biological models and construction of biological model, with a
specific focus on human embryonic stem cells.
In the framework of the stem cell fate decision, it is known that, in their pluripotent state, stem cells
does not undergo telomere shortening. However, decrease of telomerase activity is a marker of the beginning
of the differentiation process.
In the description of the AgingTamng project, impact of telomere shortening is mentioned (concept 1, 4 and 5).
It is clear to me that if one wants to have a better understanding of the machinery behind telomere maintenance
and especially how this machinery is connected and regulated by other components of the global network, it is necessary to
build a systemic picture of the different motifs involved.
Building a cooperative project mixing expérimentalist and engineer (physicist) could be a great help for this project.
anybody potentially interested?
best regards,
Quentin Vanhaelen, PhD
Anca Ioviţă
Welcome and congratulations for the research you're doing!
Just wanted to pin-point some aspects which may be useful in your research: telomere length is more likely to be associated with regeneration instead of maximum lifespan. As a study case, species with indeterminate growth maintain the length of their telomeres, but they still age and some of them don't live that long either. Of course, lack of regeneration is one way through which aging kills and telomere research could bring progress in regenerative medicine.
Best,
Anca