2025 Landsteiner Lecture Tony Wyss-Coray
D. H. Chen Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford Medicine
Director, Phil and Penny Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience
Stanford University, California, USA
YOUNG BLOOD FOR OLD BRAINS AND THE QUEST TO SLOW BRAIN AGING
Monday, 12 May 2025, 6:00 pm
Festive Hall, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Dr.-Ignaz-Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna
Host: Giulio Superti-Furga
Welcome by Giulio Superti-Furga, CeMM Scientific Director
Public lecture by Tony Wyss-Coray
Reception
Aging leads to the degradation of function in nearly all tissues and organs. This process is marked by significant shifts in gene expression and changes in concentrations of all types of biological molecules. Recent technological progress has allowed biologists to measure an unprecedented number of these molecules throughout an organism, providing unique insights into the physiological and pathological conditions of cells and organs, including the aging process.
Large scale proteomic studies in humans demonstrate dramatic shifts in the composition of the blood and cerebrospinal fluid proteomes with age allowing us to estimate brain age and identify proteins linked to cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and dementia. While brain cell- and tissue-intrinsic factors are likely essential in driving the aging process we find blood borne factors from young humans and mice are sufficient to counteract aspects of brain aging and improve cognitive function in old mice while blood plasma from old organisms is detrimental to young mice and impairs their cognition. These findings open opportunities to identify biomarkers and regulators of aging in general and for brain and other organs specifically.