Bio

Claire Stewart is a Professor of stem cell biology at Liverpool John Moore's University, with 25 years post-PhD experience. With a degree in Developmental Biology (Glasgow), a PhD in large animal physiology, biochemistry and endocrinology (The Babraham Institute) and post-doctoral expertise in stem cell and molecular biology (Washington University Medical School and the University of Bristol), she is one of only a handful of people who has extensive and long term training and experience in cell and molecular health physiology, enabling the design of mechanistic questions with relevant applications. She was one of the first worldwide to report the anti-apoptotic roles of the insulin-like growth factors and amongst the first internationally to develop/report on the use of adult human stem cells as models. Her work reporting that cells retain an intrinsic memory of the environment from which they were derived has fundamental implications for therapeutic interventions/personalised medicine. Of further relevance to this meeting is her role as Chair of the British Society for Research on Ageing.

Project

I believe that in order to capture the societal and the economic potential of increasingly older populations, we must consider how we may increase healthspan. Through discussions at Faberllull Olot we can address regulators of the ageing process (not old age) and the needs and priorities of older individuals. This should enable a better understanding of healthy ageing and provide opportunities to identify potential crisis points/threats to healthspan. I hope to investigate activity/socioeconomic and gender specific influencers of ageing and to initiate a collaborative network in order to share/develop knowledge of ageing across the lifecourse , to ultimately improve healthspan. I envisage that I will use my time as a good starting point for the development of multi-disciplinary approaches to: data collection, policy development and dissemination relating to differences in longevity and healthspan. If we can define ageing, we have the possibility to indeed increase healthspan.