To address the multiple challenges of the topic resilient ageing and in response to the WHO call for the decade of healthy ageing, the Leibniz Research Alliance “Resilient Ageing” was formed in March 2022. It currently consists of fourteen Leibniz institutes and one associated Leibniz Institute with scientists from many different disciplines: biology, medicine, psychology, education science, sociology, and economics. The research alliance integrates two major research perspectives, i.e. The investigation of resilient trajectories during ageing and the investigation of mechanism of resilient ageing with a focus on adaptive plasticity.

The research alliance has the following objectives:

• To combine the powerful agendas of ageing and resilience research into one coherent concept of “Resilient Ageing”
• To integrate the rather broad previous concepts of “resilience and ageing” into one topic of extraordinarily high importance for resilience research, namely “Resilient Ageing”
• To combine the expertise of all partner institutes to extend and go beyond the research results from the previous LRA on “Healthy Ageing”
• To take on a practical approach to the topic “Resilient Ageing” to make the future lives of seniors as healthy as possible.

The research program is structured in six interdisciplinary research areas (IRAs). IRAs 1-5 will systematically cover intrinsic (e.g. molecular, genetic etc.) and extrinsic (e.g. life style and environmental) factors influencing adaptive plasticity in ageing. An IRA6 will integrate and develop methods to quantify and formalize mechanisms and dynamic trajectory changes (e.g. state changes and switch (tipping points) of resilient ageing and identify predictors of resilient ageing.

Each IRA tailors work packages with clear research questions for the interdisciplinary work, milestones, which outline how progression can be quantified, and the contributions of the involved institutes.

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Interdisciplinary Research Areas.

• This research group aims to analyse active mechanisms against molecular pathway failures limiting cellular, tissue and organismal adaptive plasticity in ageing. By applying an integrative approach combining multi-omics data, the study will identify phenotypic and biological predictors that serve as reference points of normal ageing at pathway level.

IRA 1.

Mechanisms of ageing at the molecular and pathway level.

Contributing institutes:
BIPS, DDZ, DIfE, FLI, IUF, IZW, LIN, LIR

• This research group explores how genetic differences influence molecular pathways of resilient ageing in different model systems. Gene variants impact metabolic pathways, mediating interactions with nutritional and other environmental components that can affect ageing trajectories.

IRA 2.

Genetic determinations of metabolics plasticity and resilient ageing.

Contributing institutes:
IGB, FLI, IZW, LIR

• Humans are exposed to chemical and physical factors in living and working environment. Cohort studies connect these with accelerated ageing and age-associated diseases. This research group aims to dissect the molecular ageing mechanisms by assessing environmental factors and their impact on adaptive metabolic plasticity pathways.

IRA 3.

Physical and chemical extrinsic factors shaping mechanisms and dynamics of ageing.

Contributing institutes:
IGB, IfADo, FLI, IUF, IZW

• Lifestyle factors have repeatedly and robustly been shown to influence ageing in epidemiological studies. Direct biological effects of lifestyle factors have been proven to improve health parameters and lifespan in non-human primates and humans. This research group brings together existing data on human cohorts with molecular analyses of lifestyle factors (e.g. micronutrients) and immune response and animal models to test those factors on adaptive metabolic plasticity.

IRA 4.

Lifestyle determinants shaping resilient ageing and the dynamics of ageing.

Contributing institutes:
BIPS, DDZ, DIfE, DIW/SOEP, IfADo, IUF, LIR

• Social interactions at the individual level and the interactions of the individual within its social contexts (e.g. social hierarchies) as well as within its ecological contexts (e.g. rural vs. urban environments) have been shown to influence ageing. This research group assesses the social and ecological factors for their influence on ageing, which will result in the generation of hypotheses.

IRA 5.

Social and ecological factors shaping resilient ageing mechanisms and the dynamics of ageing.

Contributing institutes:
BIPS, DDZ, DIW/SOEP, IGB, IfADo, IfW, IUF, IZW, LIR, SGN, WZB

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• This research group provides two modelling platforms to exchange virtual data and monitor code development. The two modelling platforms are named “Dynamic trajectory changes” and “Modelling of molecular and pathway interactions”. With its modelling expertise, this Interdisciplinary Research Area will develop methods to formalize mechanisms and identify predictors of resilient ageing.

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IRA 6.

Modeling Predictors of Resilient Ageing.

All institutes will be involved in IRA 6.

Modelling Platform 1 — Dynamic Trajectory Changes; Platform host: IUF
Modelling Platform 2 — Modelling of Molecular and Pathway Interactions; Platform host: FLI