You are not the same person you were a decade ago. Most of your body’s cells are replaced every seven to 10 years. Nevertheless, you retain the genes and memories that help make you, you. Science still doesn’t fully understand how the aging process works. But we’re getting closer, and the answers may hold the key to finally conquering diseases and disorders that humans have been struggling with for centuries. This year, at the historic 89th Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Symposium on Quantitative Biology, leading experts from across the life sciences gathered at CSHL to share their research on aging and senescence.
Senescence occurs when cells stop dividing but don’t die. The buildup of senescent cells contributes to chronic inflammation, as seen in rheumatoid arthritis. Senescence has also been linked to many other aging-related conditions, from diabetes to dementia. Paradoxically, senescence has been observed to suppress and support tumor development. How is this possible? And what are the implications for treating cancer and other diseases that become more common with age? Answering tough questions like these demands a breadth of knowledge spanning many scientific disciplines. That is exactly what CSHL Symposia are best known for in biology and medicine.
CSHL Assistant Professor Corina Amor Vegas studies interactions between senescent and immune cells. Here, she speaks with Embo Journal Senior Scientific Editor Daniel Klimmeck.
“For nearly nine decades, the CSHL Symposium on Quantitative Biology has brought leading experts from across research areas and around the world to Cold Spring Harbor to address some of the most pressing and fundamental scientific questions of their time,” said CSHL President Bruce Stillman. “As the global population ages, we are witnessing alarming increases in age-related disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Furthermore, it has become apparent that senescent cells, which are like scar tissue in organs and accumulate in tissues with age, are associated with many age-related disorders, including cancer. The past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in the molecular understanding of aging. Therefore, even though our Meetings & Courses Program has been hosting a conference on Mechanisms of Aging since 2002, it was time for us to hold the first CSHL Symposium dedicated to exploring this exciting topic from a wide range of scientific perspectives.”
The event, which began on May 28 and ended on June 1, featured 47 invited speakers giving talks with titles from “Aging skin stem cells bear scars of life of stress” (Elaine Fuchs, The Rockefeller University) to “Targeting the interface between senescence and cancer” (Scott Lowe, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center). Speakers from CSHL included Professor Lloyd Trotman and Assistant Professors Corina Amor Vegas and Semir Beyaz. Additionally, there were more than 170 research posters on display, offering scientists at all stages of their careers a platform to showcase their findings and exchange ideas. Altogether, the Symposium attracted 346 attendees from 28 countries.
The 89th CSHL Symposium on Quantitative Biology was organized by CSHL Dean of Academic Affairs Terri Grodzicker, Meetings & Courses Program Executive Director David Stewart, and President Bruce Stillman. Support for the meeting was provided by Genentech and RWD Life Science, with additional contributions from corporate benefactor Regeneron and corporate sponsors Agilent Technologies, Biogen, Calico Labs, New England Biolabs, and Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.
To find out more about the biology of aging, watch the 89th Symposium playlist. You’ll see a selection of this year’s participating scientists break down their research and address some of the most fascinating questions emerging from the CSHL Symposium.
Written by: Samuel Diamond, Editorial Content Manager | diamond@cshl.edu | 516-367-5055