Thorsten Hoppe, Ph.D., Head of the Research Laboratory on Ageing at the CECAD and Institute for Genetics, to present at the 6th Ageing Research for Drug Discovery Forum in Basel, Switzerland
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - Today Insilico Medicine, a biotechnology company developing the end-to-end drug discovery pipeline utilizing the next generation artificial intelligence, and the Scheibye-Knudsen Lab, University of Copenhagen, announce the presentation of Thorsten Hoppe, Ph.D., Head of the Research Laboratory on Ageing at the CECAD and Institute for Genetics, at the 6th Ageing Research, Drug Discovery, and AI Forum during the Basel Life Congress, September 10-12, 2019, Basel, Switzerland.
Many age-associated disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, are associated with the collapse of proteostasis, ultimately caused by aggregation of excessive amounts of damaged proteins. This disastrous failure in proteostasis is triggered by a combination of disease-related mutations and environmental risk factors, which can overwhelm the limited capacity of the proteostasis network. Among a variety of environmental cues, food has been recognized for its multilayered impact in regulating proteostasis and organismal integrity.
Chronic malnutrition or high-calorie diets are associated with severe physiological alterations and often triggers the onset as well as affects the severity of age-associated diseases. However, the mechanistic consequences of varying diets and the impact on organismal health still remain largely unexplored. The underlying perception of food quality depends on sensory neurons that contain specialized receptors, which recognize various types of cues, including mechanical, thermal, gustatory, and olfactory stimuli. Intriguingly, our recent findings provide compelling evidence for proteostasis response mechanisms that are regulated by the smell of food-dependent odors.
The team of Professor Thorsten Hoppe at the Center for Research on Ageing (CECAD) has gained novel insights on how the smell of food affects physiology and ageing. Surprisingly, this relationship is due to a single pair of olfactory neurons. The smell of food induces a variety of physiological processes in our body. Thus, the production of saliva and digestive enzymes is stimulated before the actual food intake in order to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for the upcoming digestive process. In a healthy organism, this coordination depends on a dynamic balance between formation and degradation of proteins (proteostasis). Scientists of the Hoppe lab now succeeded in demonstrating the influence of food odors on proteostasis.
"The impact of odors at the cellular level is a poorly investigated field. It is well known that malfunctions in odor perception are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. We will further investigate the influence of the perception of odors on ageing-associated disorders such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease," said Thorsten Hoppe, Ph.D., Head of the Research Laboratory on Ageing at the CECAD and Institute for Genetics, Cologne, Germany.
"We are highly delighted that Professor Thorsten Hoppe from the Cluster of Excellence for Ageing Research at the University of Cologne is joining us in Basel this year. Professor Hoppe's rewarding research has contributed tremendously to our understanding of how organismal ageing is affected by protein homeostasis, a process that declines with age and contributes to neurodegeneration. Recently, Professor Hoppe's lab revealed a novel regulatory circuit in olfactory neurons that controls intestinal proteostasis and ageing in the model organism C.elegans. We are therefore very happy that Professor Thorsten Hoppe will visit us in Basel," said Dr. Daniela Bakula, University of Copenhagen.
"Over the last 5 years, the "Ageing & Drug Discovery" and "AI for Healthcare" forums have been leading events at Basel Life, attracting hundreds of delegates from over 50 countries. This year, we are combining the 2 platforms into a 3 day-event titled "the 6th Ageing, AI and Drug Discovery Forum" to explore the convergence of these 2 cutting edge disciplines. Under the program leadership of Professor Morten Scheibye-Knudsen and Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov, with distinguished scientists and industry experts in the field, we look forward to exploring breakthroughs for this great healthcare need for the planet," said Dr. Bhupinder Bhullar, Chair, Innovation Forum program committee, Basel Life 2019.
"The 6th annual Ageing Research, Drug Discovery, and AI Forum at Basel Life will have a fresh program featuring some of the most prominent scientists and industry players in ageing and longevity research covering the theory, applications and convergence of these three exciting areas," said Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., Founder, and CEO of Insilico Medicine, Inc.
The 6th Ageing Research for Drug Discovery Forum Basel will bring together leaders in the ageing, longevity, and drug discovery field, to describe the latest progress in the molecular, cellular and organismal basis of ageing and the search for interventions. Furthermore, the forum will include opinion leaders in AI to discuss the latest advances of this technology in the biopharmaceutical sector and how this can be applied to interventions. This event intends to bridge academic and commercial research and foster collaborations that will result in practical solutions to one of humanity's most challenging problems: ageing. The Forum will be held in Basel, Switzerland, September 10-12, 2019.
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For further information, images or interviews, please contact: Ola Popova ola@pharma.ai About Thorsten Hoppe
Professor Hoppe heads the research laboratory on ageing at the CECAD and Institute for Genetics, Cologne Germany. His group has identified regulatory mechanisms that coordinate protein degradation systems and the ageing process. Many of their studies use the nematode C.elegans as a model system to study physiological aspects of selective protein turnover by the ubiquitin proteasome system and autophagy in the context of ageing-associated processes. By manipulating rates of proteolysis, his team was able to prevent loss of central muscle proteins and therefore extend muscle activity, or to prevent protein aggregation and extend lifespan.
About CECAD
CECAD's vision is to use the knowledge gained to develop new therapies for the entire spectrum of ageing-associated diseases, including cancer, diabetes, stroke, renal failure, and neurodegenerative disorders. CECAD creates new synergies through a novel network of innovative minds and ideas. More than 400 international scientists from the University of Cologne, the Cologne University Hospital, the Max Planck Institutes for Metabolism Research and Biology of Ageing, and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) are exploring the molecular basis of the ageing process and age-associated diseases at the Cluster of Excellence.
Official Website: https:/
About Insilico Medicine, Inc
Insilico Medicine is an artificial intelligence company headquartered in Rockville, with R&D and management resources in Belgium, Russia, UK, Taiwan, and Korea sourced through hackathons and competitions. The company and its scientists are dedicated to extending human productive longevity and transforming every step of the drug discovery and drug development process through excellence in biomarker discovery, drug development, digital medicine, and ageing research.
In 2017, NVIDIA selected Insilico Medicine as one of the Top 5 AI companies in its potential for social impact. In 2018, the company was named one of the global top 100 AI companies by CB Insights. In 2018 it received the Frost & Sullivan 2018 North American Artificial Intelligence for Aging Research and Drug Development Award accompanied with the industry brief. Brief company video: https:/
Website: http://insilico.
About the Scheibye-Knudsen Laboratory
The growing proportion of the elderly population represents an increasing socioeconomic challenge, not least because of age-associated diseases. It is therefore increasingly pertinent to find interventions for age-associated diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cardiovascular diseases. Although the cause of ageing is currently unknown accumulation of damage to our genome, the DNA, may be a contributing factor.
In the Scheibye-Knudsen lab we try to understand the cellular and organismal consequences of DNA damage with the aim of developing interventions. We have discovered that DNA damage leads to changes in certain metabolites and that replenishment of these molecules may alter the rate of ageing in model organisms. These findings suggest that normal ageing and age-associated diseases may be malleable to similar interventions. The hope is to develop interventions that will allow everyone to live healthier, happier and more productive lives.
Laboratory website: http://scheibye-knudsen.
About the University of Copenhagen
With over 40,000 students and more than 9,000 employees, the University of Copenhagen is the largest institution of research and education in Denmark and among the highest ranked universities in Europe. The purpose of the University - to quote the University Statute - is to 'conduct research and provide further education to the highest academic level'. Approximately one hundred different institutes, departments, laboratories, centres, museums, etc., form the nucleus of the University.
University Website: http://introduction.
About Basel Life 2019
Ageing Research for Drug Discovery Forum description
In this symposium, leaders in the ageing, longevity, and drug discovery field will describe the latest progress in the molecular, cellular and organismal basis of ageing and the search for interventions. Furthermore, the forum will include opinion leaders in AI to discuss the latest advances of this technology in the biopharmaceutical sector and how this can be applied to interventions. This event intends to bridge academic and commercial research and foster collaborations that will result in practical solutions to one of humanity's most challenging problems: ageing. A panel of thought-leaders will give us their cutting edge reports on the latest progress in our quest to extend the healthy lifespan of everyone on the planet.
Conference Official Website: https:/
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