On November 9^th and 10^th, the McMaster community is invited to explore the biology of aging through two special events featuring world-renowned scientist Dr. Robert Brosh from the National Institute on Aging.

1. Guest Lecture: Healthy Aging – How Genes and Lifestyle Impact Aging, Cancer and Neurodegeneration, talk by Dr. Robert Brosh

When: Wednesday Nov. 9th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:20 p.m.

Where: Togo Salmon Hall B106

Who should attend: McMaster undergraduate and graduate students

2. Seminar: Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Helicases to Preserve Genomic Integrity, led by Dr. Robert Brosh

When: Thursday Nov. 10th from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: Health Sciences Centre 1A04

Who should attend: McMaster faculty and graduate students

Event Descriptions:

Guest Lecture: Healthy Aging – How Genes and Lifestyle Impact Aging, Cancer and Neurodegeneration

Aging is known to be a leading risk factor for many chronic diseases, disabilities and frailty.  The burden on society to care for the growing aging population has prompted new interest into understanding the cellular and molecular basis for age-related diseases and investigation of new approaches leading to treatments and cures of defects underlying the aging process.  It seems feasible that the ultimate goal of aging studies is to increase healthy lifespan so that aged individuals may lead proactive lifestyles in their later decades.  There is growing consensus among gerontologists that the hallmark features of aging are inter-connected with each other.  Although the causes of aging are multi-factorial, there is much excitement in the field as new studies suggest that there may be innovative strategies to deal directly or indirectly with the molecular underpinnings of aging.  Damage to macromolecules, cellular senescence, and secretion of senescence associated factors that affect neighboring cells and tissues continue to be prevailing themes in aging research. These degenerative events are likely to be major underlying causes of aging, as revealed by studies of cells, model organisms, premature aging disorders,  and centenarians.  However, careful assessment of genetic and environmental factors, as well as lifestyle choices, suggests that age-related symptoms may be modulated to increase healthy lifespan.  These topics will be discussed to provide a launchpad for creative thinking about the topic of aging and robust discussion.

Seminar: Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Helicases to Preserve Genomic Integrity

DNA damage and genomic instability leads to mutations, cellular dysfunction and aberrant phenotypes at the tissue and organismal levels. Age-related decay in genome preservation pathways accelerates age-dependent loss of genomic stability. A number of mechanisms have evolved to cope with endogenous or exogenous stress to prevent chromosomal instability and maintain cellular homeostasis. Molecular motor DNA unwinding enzymes known as helicases play important roles in the DNA damage response. Their importance has been elevated from a clinical perspective by the discovery of a number of genetic diseases that are linked to mutations in genes encoding DNA helicases. My group has as its focus to understand how DNA repair and replication stress response helicases contribute to genome stability, healthy aging, and cancer resistance.

These events were funded through a Forward with Integrity grant.