Background

Due to a steady increase in life expectancy, the segment of the population aged 60 or over is rapidly increasing worldwide. The number of persons aged 60+ is expected to more than double, from 841 million in 2013 to more than 2 billion in 2050. There is a requirement to quickly develop better prevention and treatments for many of the ailments associated with old age. To cope with these challenges, trained academics and other experts across a wide range of professional occupations have teamed up in the Innsbruck Doctoral College "Ageing and regeneration (DC AGE_REG)" founded in 2016. AGE_REG was established at the University of Innsbruck within the framework of the research areas plant metabolomics, ageing research and stem cell biology. Its purpose is to provide an excellent environment of educational training for talented PhD students in the field of interdisciplinary cell biology utilizing state-of-the art omics and cell culture technology.

The overall scientific aims of the DC AGE_REG are i) to unravel molecular mechanisms and networks implicated in ageing in selected model systems ranging from plants, nematodes, cnidarians and ascidians to mice and human cell cultures, and ii) contribute work towards developing new concepts of regenerative strategies to repair and replace damaged cells and/or tissues for future therapeutic use. The main aim of AGE_REG for teaching is to supervise and train PhD students in a multi- and interdisciplinary programme of excellence with strong coherence and collaboration between the individual Faculty Members involved. On the one hand the PhD students earn a PhD degree within the involved fields of cell biology, plant metabolomics, genetics, bioinformatics and zoology. On the other hand they gain international experience by joining winter and summer schools, conferences, as well as by participating in exchange activities between academia and industry and in particular by spending a period of time abroad as visiting junior researchers.

Participating Institutions