The Biogerontology Research Foundation is a friend of the Methuselah Foundation, recently launched in the UK. We're pleased to see that the BGRF is well underway with its first programs:

The Biogerontology Research Foundation to support an aging resource at UCL (University College London)

The study of mammalian aging in model systems in a controlled laboratory environment is essential if we are to evaluate experimental interventions designed to postpone or alleviate aging when begun late in life. Such studies are rare at present, not least because of the scarcity of suitable experimental material, yet they clearly have far more biomedical relevance and potential than interventions begun early in life or by germ-line genetic manipulation. The BGRF hopes that its support for this resource will be the first step towards elevating work on late-onset interventions in aging to the prominence that it merits within gerontology and within biology as a whole.

The UCL resource is under the expert management of Dr. Raya Al-Shawi, Senior Research Fellow and facility manager at the UCL Medical School. The BGRF is already discussing with Dr. Al-Shawi the prospects for expansion in the future as and when additional funds become available. Dr Al-Shawi said "Our interests are in understanding the processes of normal aging. The support provided by BGRF is most welcome, and in the future we hope to be able to share an expanded resource with other academics to further studies of aging".

About the Biogerontology Research Foundation:

The Biogerontology Research Foundation is a registered UK charity # 1124054. The BGRF seeks to fill a gap within the research community, whereby the current scientific understanding of the ageing process is not yet being sufficiently exploited to produce effective medical interventions. The BGRF will fund research which, building on the body of knowledge about how ageing happens, will develop biotechnological interventions to remediate the molecular and cellular deficits which accumulate with age and which underlie the ill-health of old age. Addressing ageing damage at this most fundamental level will provide an important opportunity to produce the effective, lasting treatments for the diseases and disabilities of ageing, which are required to improve quality of life in the elderly. The BGRF seeks to use the entire scope of modern biotechnology to attack the changes that take place in the course of aging, and to address not just the symptoms of age-related diseases but also the mechanisms of those diseases.

Contact:
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD

Biogerontology Research Foundation
US: + 1 626 593 7957
UK: + 44 20 81 44 7774
http://www.bg-rf.org.uk/Contact.html

The Biogerontology Research Foundation
Registered UK Charity # 1124054
Kings Lodge
194 Kings Rd.
Reading, Berkshire
RG1 4NH, UK

Posted by Reason at 12:47 PM | Permalink

From the Methuselah Foundation's New York fundraising coordinator, Renaud Fournier:

I just wanted to make sure you were made aware of a fundraising dinner we have set up at the "21 Club" in Manhattan on July 30th, where Aubrey de Grey will be providing an overview of the Foundation's latest efforts and advances.

We are using this opportunity essentially as the Foundation's "coming out" party in NY and will include a small group of 10 to 20 people consisting of previous donors as well as some of our personal NYC contacts. The event will start at 6:30 pm and will consist of a half hour open bar, followed by a three course sit down dinner where Aubrey will provide an overview of the foundation's goals, the foundation's efforts to date (the SENS strategies, the Mprize, the 300 group) as well as some the foundation's latest research developments. There is a $250 per person cost, but the goal of this initial NYC event is not to make a significant amount of money from the event itself, but rather to develop a Methuselah Foundation donor community in the NYC area.

Please feel free to contact the Methuselah Foundation with any questions, and to pass this information on to anyone who may be interested in attending this event.

Posted by Reason at 04:14 PM | Permalink

Are you an undergraduate interested in the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence and other avenues of longevity science? Have you considered volunteering with the Methuselah Foundation to help advances towards the repair of aging? Then you should visit the MFURI website to learn more about the Methuselah Foundation Undergraduate Research Initiative. From the program overview:

In its present form, the initiative provides students with the knowledge and logistical support to develop their own projects to further the agendas of the Methuselah Foundation, a non-profit organization which supports research and advocacy for radically extending healthy human life. As a means for promoting student interest, thousands of dollars in scholarship funds, grants, and man hours are provided annually. These support mechanisms, coupled with the logistical support of numerous dedicated, professional volunteer coordinators, provide unprecedented opportunity for student development and success in most any academic discipline. In addition to becoming eligible for scholarships and general support, MFURI students are also given the choice to perform projects and initiatives for university credit virtually anywhere within the United States.

Foundation volunteer and Director of Undergraduate Affairs Kelsey Moody adds:

We have opportunities for students of almost all academic backgrounds to contribute, and are also looking for qualified volunteers to help mediate and coordinate the students.

This is a great opportunity to get involved in researching the development of longevity medicine.

Posted by Reason at 09:41 PM | Permalink