Healthy ageing and supporting long-term conditions research theme

Defining mechanisms and markers of age-related disease to improve intervention and care.

The challenge

The world's population is ageing. In Europe and North America there are already more people older than 60 years than under the age of 15. The life expectancy of those living with conditions such as dementia, metabolic illness, cancers and genetic conditions that previously prevented progression beyond childhood or middle age is increasing. And this is not just an issue for high-income countries — by 2050, 80 per cent of all older people will be living in low- and middle-income countries. Throughout the world, the increased quantity of years is not always being matched by a rise in quality of life and we need to better manage age-related changes and prevent social isolation.

Our response

Research programmes in our Healthy Ageing and Supporting Long-term Conditions Research Theme investigate long-term conditions and ageing from a subcellular to a systems and population level. Fundamental molecular and clinical investigations determine the biological mechanisms involved in ageing and disease progression and provide information about biomarkers and symptoms to monitor to assess response to treatment. Analysis of big data – from genomics to healthcare costs — enable complexities around clinical decision making to be unravelled and personalised care plans to be devised. Studies to co-design interventions and services inform approaches to maximise independence, physical capability and cognitive function, to prevent or minimise complications and to enable successful adaptation to multimorbidity.

Research projects

Active projects

Designing integrated dietetic and psychological NHS pathways for adults living with coeliac disease

Start date: February 2024

End date: July 2025

Bugs, bones and vitamin D – A pilot project

Start date: January 2024

End date: December 2024

Next Generation Probiotics - ‘Omics-based Identification of Candidate Bacteria’

Start date: December 2023

End date: September 2026

Development and feasibility of a self-help psychological intervention to support gluten-free diet management, psychological wellbeing and quality-of-life in children and young people with coeliac disease

Start date: September 2023

End date: September 2024

Conceptualising loneliness for people with learning disabilities: a co-designed intervention to support social connectedness in social care settings

Start date: July 2022

End date: January 2028

Computational analysis for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in humans

Start date: July 2021

End date: July 2024

The interplay between the Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response (UPRmt) and the Integrated Stress Repsonse (ISR) in the stressed heart

Start date: July 2021

End date: July 2024

What the brain is telling the heart: Cardiac electrophysiological and molecular alterations in Parkinson's disease

Start date: April 2021

End date: April 2024

Development of “smart” amplifiers of reactive oxygen species specific to aberrant polymorphonuclear neutrophils for treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, cancer and myeloablation

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Equipping community services to meet the palliative care needs of older people with frailty approaching the end of life; a mixed methods study

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Vectra polaris automated quantitative pathology imaging system

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Engineering Integrated Dementia cAre (EIDA)

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A Phase 2 trial of a 6-week treatment schedule of neoadjuvant nivolumab and ipilimumab in operable MSI high or POLE exonuclease domain mutant colon cancer (CRC).

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Better gut microbiome function

Closed-loop phase modulation of sleep rhythms

Investigating brain structural differences in first episode psychosis, and how these associate with cognitive/metacognitive performance and sleep disruption

Investigating links between cardiometabolic, sleep, cognitive, and brain structural variables (Baependi Cohort study)

Investigating the contribution of autonomic nervous system dysfunction to risk of sleep disruption and mood disorders, and effects of meditation and mindfulness practise

mhealth platform for Parkinson’s disease management

Multisensory integration in developmental discoordination disorder

New frontiers to improve learning, cognition and neuroplasticity

Project Fearless

Completed projects

The AWDISP Survey (Asking women with diabetes about sexual problems)

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End date:

Menopause Matters: A better health service for women

Start date: 2022

End date: 2023

Melting the Snowy White Peaks: a student inclusive leadership programme

Start date: September 2021

End date: December 2023

Development of smart tissue engineering scaffolds for drug testing

Start date: June 2021

End date: January 2023

Counting birds and bees: promoting wellbeing of older people through engagement with nature-based conservation activities

Start date: January 2021

End date: December 2022

Development of algorithms for detection of horses at risk to sudden cardiac death in the US racing population

Start date: January 2021

End date: January 2023

Development of a prescribing assessment tool

Start date: October 2020

End date: October 2021

Development of an novel in-vitro model for cardiac ageing

Start date: October 2020

End date: October 2023

Exploration of ion selectivity in the Epithelial Sodium Channel

Start date: October 2020

End date: October 2023

Generation of a novel in vitro system to investigate the effect of ageing on the articular cartilage 

Start date: October 2020

End date: October 2023

People and nature in a pandemic: Studying nature engagement and wellbeing pre, during and post Covid-19 to support the UK (green) recovery

Start date: July 2020

End date: June 2022

Student and clinical supervisors’ perspective on student preparedness for clinical learning in veterinary medicine

Start date: July 2020

End date: July 2023

Delegation of insulin administration to non-registered healthcare workers in community nursing teams: an evaluation of care and practice for older people with diabetes

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End date:

Investigation of the effect of Hydroquinone on cartilage health

Start date: March 2020

End date: March 2021

Mapping the equine cardiac channelome

Start date: January 2020

End date: January 2023

Effects of electromagnetic field on neuronal ion channel

Start date: October 2019

End date: October 2022

Exploring relative strengths in Down's syndrome: Spatial thinking and its role in mathematics

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Expression of PSMA in human cancers

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Rethinking the neural crest - a novel dynamic hypothesis of neural crest fate restriction

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Ex vivo model for the study of epicardium-targeted therapies

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Functional analysis of stress-dependent RNA-enzyme interactions

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Modulation of the Wnt signalling in the articular cartilage: Is it all about the dose?

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Modulation of the Wnt signalling in the articular cartilage: Is it all about the dose?

Start date: June 2019

End date: June 2022

Life transitions and social connections

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Novel combination therapy using using oncolytic viral therapy and a glutaminase inhibitor to achieve a permissive tumour environment for optimal anti-tumour immunity in renal cell carcinoma

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Role of Calcium Calmodulin Kinase II in cholesterol metabolism in the articular chondrocytes

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Utility of read codes for hypoglycaemia in primary care

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How do we solve a problem like loneliness?

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Provision of mental health report surveillance

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Developing patient and public involvement (PPI) in mesothelioma research

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Sleep in dementia: from mechanism to biomarkers

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A disconnect between motor milestone achievement and motor development in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; implications for interventions

Start date: 2019

End date: 2020

Development of an in vitro cardiovascular model for drug screening

Start date: January 2019

End date: January 2022

Falls, fractures and osteoporosis in the UK South Asian population: analysis of patient medical records

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How does polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis regulate T lymphocyte function?

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MicroRNA for coronary calcification

Start date: January 2019

End date: July 2021

The effect of long-term khat use on cognitive and brain function

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Expression analysis of Tissue Factor (TF) expression using a TF-green fluorescent protein knock-in transgenic mouse

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Playing A/Part: investigating the experiences of autistic girls through drama, interactive media and participatory arts

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Time is of the essence: Revealing the elusive ‘bone clock’ in humans

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Measurement of visual function in people with dementia: Correlating cognitive function, visual function and structural changes over time

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Supported self-management for people with type 2 diabetes in primary care

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Children's voices for a new human space

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Computational project

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Formative research concerning health care professional and patient acceptability of an adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine for older adults in the United Kingdom

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Optimal categorisation: the origin and nature of gender from a psycholinguistic perspective

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First contact physiotherapy in GP

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The RA Standard Study: Reducing variation in early arthritic care

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Binocular vision disorders in people with dementia: Prevalence, nature and best assessment approaches

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The effect of a SGLT2 inhibitor in type 2 diabetes

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Carbohydrate in the diet

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Impact of cardiac fibroblast-derived exosomes on electrical and contractile activity of the heart

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Circadian rhythms and sleep in the Baependi Heart Study cohort

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Improving care in diabetes using a novel quality improvement initiative of audit based education

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Timing, quality, and physiology of sleep in a deprived community cohort in South Africa, and their relationship with chronic disease

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Charaterisation and pre-clinical development of a novel dual activity anti-androgen for castration resistant prostate cancer

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A phase 1 trial of a retinoic acid receptor beta agonist for the treatment of spinal cord injury

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Effects of weight loss on nutritional mediated hormone secretion

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Exploring experiences of referral for diagnostic investigations and attitudes towards the new faster diagnostic standard

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Alborada Well Foal Study

Start date: January 2018

End date: February 2023

Development of an automated electrocardiogram analysis for the prediction of horses at risk for cardiac arrhythmias

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Healthcare performance intelligence professionals

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JPND: Systems analysis of key nodes in neurodegenerative diseases

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Ex vivo model for the study of epicardium-targeted therapies

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Development of novel algorithms for cardiac rhythm abnormalities in horses

Start date: April 2017

End date: July 2021

Investigation of the effects of duodenal resurfacing on women with polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance

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Time for dementia programme

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End date:

Investigating the contribution of stress granules to mRNA translation during viral infection

Start date: March 2017

End date: April 2017

The big breakfast study: chrono-nutrition influence on energy expenditure and body weight

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HoptoStop: Development and feasibility of a novel intervention to promote active ageing and smoking cessation in inactive smokers

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Activating innovative IoT smart living environments for ageing well

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Chronotherapeutic lifestyle intervention for diabetes and obesity to reset the circadian rhythm and improve cardiometabolic risk in the European working population

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Developing tools to investigate combinatorial control of mRNA metabolism

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GAP 4 Movember - prostate cancer

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TIHM: Technology integrated health management

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Nia co-funding scheme: Nox enzymes in aging bladder dysfunction

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Feasibility and acceptability of a holistic needs assessment intervention employing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to support newly diagnosed patients with malignant melanoma

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'Getting down to coping' On-line self-management after treatment for prostate cancer: A feasability study

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End date:

An exploration of the use of patient reported outcomes (PROs) by Clinical Nurse Specialists in the delivery of supportive care to peoplewith colorectal or gynaecological cancers

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Effects of bed rest on the circadian organisation of the human transcriptome as a model for temporal dysregulation in an ageing population

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Investigation of the differential role of calcineurin isoforms in persistent electrophysiological myocardial changes following regression from left ventricular hypertrophy

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Applied public-private research enabling osteoarthritis clinical headway

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The first small molecule inhibitors of the DNA repair enzyme AAG for use as investigational tools and `chemoprotective` drug leads: design, synthesis and bioassay

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Small molecule inhibitors of the HOX/PBX dimer in breast cancer therapy

Start date:

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A "One Health" approach to animal and human wellbeing in rural and peri-urban disadvantaged communities in Sao Paulo

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End date:

Influence of forage type on gut microbiome

Start date: 2015

End date: 2019

Understanding socioeconomic differences in help-seeking for breast cancer symptoms in the UK

Start date:

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The experience of lung cancer stigma and its impact on patient outcomes

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CHONDRION - Chondrocyte ion channel function and regulation in health and disease

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The impact of bariatric rehabilitation service on weight loss and psychological adjustment

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The role of pre and postsynaptic GABAB receptors on alcohol drinking behaviour and addiction

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Testing a new stepwise strategy for the management of renal anaemia in primary care: n exploratory cluster randomised trial

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A stepped community support programme for men experiencing the long term symptoms of prostate cancer and its treatment

Start date:

End date:

Developing digital solutions to support young adults with cancer: Stage one exploratory work

Start date:

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Novel diagnostics and biomarkers for early identification of chronic inflammatory joint diseases

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A systems biology approach to neural crest development: The role of noise in fate choice from bipotent precursors

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End date:

Identification of gene(s) prediposing to syringomyelia associated with Chiari-like malformation in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

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Randomised controlled trial to evaluate electronic symptom management using the advanced symptom management system (ASyMS) remote technology for patients with cancers

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Development, implementation and evaluation of the True NTH Supported Self Management and Follow Up Care Programme

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Risk-assessed exercise and diet (REDI): Stage one - proof of concept

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Care homes and hospitals innovating collaboratively to increase end of life care options

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Self-management after prostate cancer treatment: Evaluating the feasibility of providing a cognitive and behavioural programme for lower urinary tract symptoms

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A case study approach exploring the patients, carers and health care professionals experience of the pathway for oesophageal cancer

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End date:

An exploration of the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) by gynaecology cancer nurse specialists in the delivery of supportive care to women with cervical cancer

Start date:

End date:

The impact of bariatric rehabilitation service on weight loss and psychological adjustment

Start date:

End date:

A web-based intervention to reduce distress after prostate cancer treatment: Development and feasibility of the getting down to coping program in two different clinical settings

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Evaluating the benefits of community based aerobic training on the physical health and well-being of people with neuromuscular diseases: A pilot study

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Surrey and Shanghai Jiao Tong partnership on visceral organ sensory research during ageing

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Understanding intestinal microbiota in equine grass sickness

Start date: 2012

End date: 2014

Research theme members

Research theme champions

Debbie Cooke profile image

Dr Debbie Cooke

Research Theme Champion

Dr Ioannis Smyrnias

Associate Research Theme Champion

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