Navigating the Landscape of Translational Geroscience in Canada: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Current Progress and Future Directions

Guy Hajj-Boutros; Andréa Faust; John Muscedere; Perry Kim; Naji Abumrad; Stéphanie Chevalier; Mylene Aubertin-Leheudre; Howard Bergman; Dawn Bowdish; Jessica Burford; Stacy Carrington-Lawrence; Hélène Côté; David E Dawe; Philipe de Souto Barreto; Colin Farrelly; Robert Fowler; Gilles Gouspillou; Lea Harrington; Sofie Lautrup; Susan Howlett; Mahdi Imani; James Kirkland; George Kuchel; Frédérick A Mallette; José A Morais; John C Newman; Daryl Pullman; Felipe Sierra; Jeremy Van Raamsdonk; Jennifer Watt; R Jane Rylett; Gustavo Duque

doi:10.1093/gerona/glae069

Navigating the Landscape of Translational Geroscience in Canada: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Current Progress and Future Directions

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024 Mar 15:glae069. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glae069. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Guy Hajj-Boutros¹, Andréa Faust^{1

2}, John Muscedere^{3

4}, Perry Kim³, Naji Abumrad⁵, Stéphanie Chevalier⁶, Mylene Aubertin-Leheudre⁷, Howard Bergman^{1

2

8}, Dawn Bowdish⁹, Jessica Burford¹⁰, Stacy Carrington-Lawrence¹¹, Hélène Côté¹², David E Dawe¹³, Philipe de Souto Barreto¹⁴, Colin Farrelly¹⁵, Robert Fowler¹⁶, Gilles Gouspillou⁷, Lea Harrington¹⁷, Sofie Lautrup¹⁸, Susan Howlett¹⁹, Mahdi Imani²⁰, James Kirkland²¹, George Kuchel²², Frédérick A Mallette²³, José A Morais¹, John C Newman²⁴, Daryl Pullman²⁵, Felipe Sierra²⁶, Jeremy Van Raamsdonk²⁷, Jennifer Watt¹⁶, R Jane Rylett²⁸, Gustavo Duque^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, McGill University and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
² Schouela Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health of Seniors (Schouela CEDurable), Montreal, QC, Canada.
³ Canadian Frailty Network, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Division of Surgical Oncology & Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
⁶ School of Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
⁷ Département des Sciences de l'Activité Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
⁸ Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
⁹ Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁰ Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
¹¹ Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
¹² Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹³ Department of Internal Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, and Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
¹⁴ IHU HealthAge, Toulouse, France, CERPOP UMR.
¹⁵ Department of Political Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁶ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁷ Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
¹⁸ Department of Clinical Molecular Biology, University of Oslo, and Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.
¹⁹ Department of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
²⁰ Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), Geroscience & Osteosarcopenia Research Program, University of Melbourne and Western Health, St Albans, VIC, Australia.
²¹ Noaber Foundation Professor of Aging Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
²² UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
²³ Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, 5415 Assumption Blvd, Montréal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada.
²⁴ Buck Institute for Research on Aging, San Francisco, CA, USA.
²⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
²⁶ Hevolution Foundation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
²⁷ Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
²⁸ Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.

PMID: 38486371
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae069

Abstract

The inaugural Canadian Conferences on Translational Geroscience were held as two complementary sessions in October and November 2023. The conferences explored the profound interplay between the biology of aging, social determinants of health, the potential societal impact of geroscience and the maintenance of health in aging individuals. Although topics such as cellular senescence, molecular and genetic determinants of aging and prevention of chronic disease were addressed, the conferences went on to emphasize practical applications for enhancing older people's quality of life. This manuscript summarizes the proceeding and underscores the synergy between clinical and fundamental studies. Future directions highlight national and global collaborations and the crucial integration of early-career investigators. This work charts a course for a national framework for continued innovation and advancement in translational geroscience in Canada.

Keywords: Aging; Animal studies; Clinical trials; Geroscience; Translational Research.