Professor of Old Age Psychiatry
Lecturer in Strategic Marketing
Professor of Human & Applied Physiology
Investor Relations Manager, Entrepreneurship Institute
Head of the Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions
Professor of Cellular Signalling
Director, Ageing Research at King's
Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine
Entrepreneur in Residence (ARK)
Ageing and Society
Established research programme with strong emphasis on multidisciplinary and multiagency work, research on Ageing & Society at King’s is led by the King's Institute of Gerontology and Centre for Global Ageing. Focusing on topics ranging from the social and economic factors associated with the ageing population through to the psychological, biomedical and global aspects of ageing demographics.
Clinical Research and Practice
Through world leading expertise across King's Health Partners and the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, ARK undertakes clinical research in the treatment and care of individuals with age-related diseases, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Aiming to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families, and includes geriatric medicine, control of pain as well as attention to psychological, social considerations in the elderly.
King's Health Partners
Mechanisms of Biological Ageing
Ageing is the biggest single risk factor for multiple diseases. Research on the basic biology of ageing is vital in order to understand age-related diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease and immune deficiencies and frailty. It is vital that research on the basic biology of ageing is carried out in a multidisciplinary environment. From sub-cellular biochemistry and signalling, model organisms, to neurological & physiological studies in man - this approach enables the synergistic approach necessary to tackle the economic challenges of multi-morbidity prevalent in ageing societies.
Care of the Elderly
Research across several departments at King's focuses on social and clinical research on living well with frailty, dementia communication and improving care experiences in older people. Discovery and innovation to create knowledge and impact nursing, midwifery, and healthcare policy and practice, as well as how we educate those providing care of the elderly.
The Ageing Brain
The world leading Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience has several departments focusing on the ageing brain and associated mental health problems. Being one of Europe's largest academic communities devoted to the study of mental health, there are research programs aimed at both understanding the molecular basis of disease and discovery of novel therapies for neurodegeneration and maintenance of mental wellness. Research themes include cognition, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, depression, psychoses, sleep and digital health informatics.
Oral Health
The Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at King's has a number of ARK affiliated groups has a broad portfolio oral health research directed towards ageing populations, from basic science, through to transnational research, public health and social & behavioral sciences. Focusing on mouth as an ecosystem, the role of saliva, taste sensation and oral microbiome known to be affected by ageing.
AI in Ageing Research and Healthy Longevity
Ues of AI technologies within longevity and ageing research is increasing in both academia and industry. To utilise the latest AI advances and accelerate innovation and technology transfer, ARK has partnered with the King's AI Centre for Value Based Healthcare and our industry partners Insilico Medicine and Deep Longevity to establish a Longevity AI Consortium. Machine learning is used to develop longevity and ageing predictors offer new possibilities for diverse data types. This will enable a holistic view aiming to identify novel longevity and healthy ageing biomarkers, accelerate diagnosis of age-related diseases, refine demographic and clinical methods, develop personalised interventions to promote lifestyles for healthy longevity.
King's AI Centre for Value Based Healthcare
Economics of Healthy Ageing
Together with King's Business School, ARK researchers are developing an international network focusing on financial longevity and the economic burden of a global changing population demographics through innovation and opportunities for enhancing productivity of the ageing workforce. We are working with global corporate partners in the pharma, food, insurance and consumer goods sectors to address these issues and to develop commercialization opportunities.
Entrepreneurship in Healthy Longevity
ARK is uniquely placed to have an Entrepreneur in Residence based in the Department of Informatics at King's focusing on Human Centred Computing, Data Sciences and Digital Health. The King's Entrepreneurship Institute also offers students and researchers support in innovation and commercialization opportunities to tackle novel approaches to enhance healthy longevity.
ARK Entrepruneur in Residence
Longevity Policy and Governance
ARK is a founding member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Longevity and hosted the launch of "Health of the Nation: National Strategy for Healthier Longer Lives" report in February 2020. ARK continues to support the APPG through the Open Life Data Framework and Business for Health initiatives. The Policy Institute at King's provides evidence and expertise to inform global policy and practice in healthy ageing.
APPG for Longevity Health of the Nation Report
Professional Education - Business of Healthy Ageing
An ageing society opens business & organisational opportunities. This short course on the "Business of Healthy Ageing and a Longer Life", organised by King's Business School in association with ARK, explores these opportunities, providing context for the emerging ageing population and provides the frameworks and research insights to turn a changing demographic and customer base into a valuable assets.
Business of Healthy Ageing Course
Paper of the month:
Lazarus NR and Harridge SDR (2021) A Hypothesis: The Interplay of Exercise and Physiological Heterogeneity as Drivers of Human Ageing. Frontiers in Physiology 12: 695392.
Selected ageing research publications from across King's:
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Kuoppomäki, S., Tuncer, S., Eriksson, S. & McMillan, D., 2021, Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies . 69 Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper › peer-review
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Scott, W., Jackson, S. E. & Hackett, R. A., 1 Feb 2022, In: Pain. 163, 2, p. 258-266 9 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002368
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Ronaldson, A., Arias De La Torre, J., Bendayan, R., Yadegarfar, M. E., Rhead, R., Douiri, A., Armstrong, D., Hatch, S., Hotopf, M. & Dregan, A., 17 Jan 2022, In: Aging & mental health. p. 1-11 Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.2017847
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González-Domínguez, R., Castellano-Escuder, P., Lefèvre-Arbogast, S., Low, D. Y., Du Preez, A., Ruigrok, S. R., Lee, H., Helmer, C., Pallàs, M., Urpi-Sarda, M., Sánchez-Pla, A., Korosi, A., Lucassen, P. J., Aigner, L., Manach, C., Thuret, S., Samieri, C. & Andres-Lacueva, C., Dec 2022, In: Alzheimer's Research and Therapy. 14, 1, 1. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-021-00948-8
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Wood, D. A., Kafiabadi, S., Busaidi, A. A., Guilhem, E., Montvila, A., Lynch, J., Townend, M., Agarwal, S., Mazumder, A., Barker, G. J., Ourselin, S., Cole, J. H. & Booth, T. C., 1 Apr 2022, In: NeuroImage. 249, p. 118871 118871. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118871
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Baird, K., Baillon, S., Lau, L. S. L., Storey, M., Lindesay, J. & Velayudhan, L., 22 Dec 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. p. 1-6 6 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1159/000520882
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Rognoni, E., Goss, G., Hiratsuka, T., Sipilä, K. H., Kirk, T., Kober, K. I., Lui, P. P., Tsang, V. S., Hawkshaw, N. J., Pilkington, S. M., Cho, I., Ali, N., Rhodes, L. E. & Watt, F. M., Dec 2021, In: eLife. 10, e71052. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.71052
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de Lucia, C., Murphy, T., Maruszak, A., Wright, P., Powell, T. R., Hartopp, N., de Jong, S., O'Sullivan, M. J., Breen, G., Price, J., Lovestone, S. & Thuret, S., Dec 2021, In: Aging and disease. 12, 8, p. 2151-2172 22 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2021.0409
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Iob, E., Kirschbaum, C. & Steptoe, A., Oct 2018, In: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 96, p. 100-108 9 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.06.008
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Iob, E., Kirschbaum, C. & Steptoe, A., May 2020, In: Molecular Psychiatry. 25, 5, p. 1130-1140 11 p. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review. DOIs: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0501-6
Selected Ageing Research Funding at King's:
1. Mathematical modelling of muscle stem cell behaviour in ageing (Leverhulme Trust),
2. The Sciences of ageing and the culture of youth: 1880 to the present day (MRC Medical Research Council),
3. Comparing the phenotypes and trajectories of human ageing associated with exercise and inactivity: with a particular focus on the biology of skeletal muscle and the immune system (Nadace The JetBrains Foundation),
4. Microvascular dysfunction and inflammation in the brain ageing (Stavanger University Hospital),
5. Decoding the role of follicle stimulating hormone in ovarian ageing (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),
6. Modelling brain ageing using neuroimaging to improve brain health in older adults (MRC Medical Research Council),
7. The influence of TRPA1 signalling on the response to cold exposure as ageing occurs (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),
8. Function of post-translational modifications of protein backbones in signalling and molecular ageing (Wellcome Trust),
9. Promoting mental wellbeing in the ageing urban population: determinants, policies and interventions in European cities - MINDMAP (EC European Commission),
10. Epigenetic responses to social and environmental cues in early life and over the life course: impact on healthy ageing in UK population-based cohorts (ESRC Economic and Social Research Council),
11. Lifecourse biological pathways underlying social differences in healthy ageing (LIFEPATH) (EC European Commission),
12. The underlying mechanisms of ageing in the inner ear (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),
13. Colorado adoption/twin Study of lifespan behavioural development and cognitive ageing (CATSLife) (NIH National Institutes of Health),
14. ATHLOS - ageing trajectories of health: longitudinal opportunities and synergies (EC European Commission),
15. Multi-scale analysis of B cell responses in ageing (MRC Medical Research Council),
16. Mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle cell ageing and calcification (BHF British Heart Foundation),
17. The role of multi-innervated dendritic spines in memory formation in ageing (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),
18. Exploring frailty, mental health and related outcomes: a multi-cultural population based approach to ageing (MRC Medical Research Council),
19. Midlife pace of ageing in the Dunedin study (MRC Medical Research Council),
20. Pregnant glycaemic control and its effects on healthy development and aging: a role for kisspeptin (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council).
More funding awards at King's on ageing
Ageing Research at King's Lectures
ARK hosts events on ageing and healthy longevity across a broad spectrum of themes with a life course approach with UK and international speakers from academia, industry, foundations and governments. Talks have covered themes including entrepreneurship, commercialization, digital innovation, social impact and economics of ageing and government policy, biomarkers of ageing, age-related conditions, physical activity, nutrition, basic and clinical ageing research.
ARK Lecture Series
Longevity Week 2021 - Innovations in Consumer Longevity Data
ARK hosted "Innovations in Consumer Longevity Data: A Global Perspective" on 19 November, highlighting the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (keynote by Ritu Sadana, WHO) and the Open Life Data Framework (APPG for Longevity). Organisations represented included University of Zurich, National University of Singapore, AXA Health, Legal & General, Nestle Health Sciences Institute, Deep Longevity, Insilico Medicine and Longevity Science Foundation. The event was opened by Prof Reza Razavi, King's Vice President (Research).
ARK Longevity Week 2021 Event
Zurich Healthy Longevity Innovation Cluster - ARK Strategic Partnership
ARK has established a strategic partnership with the University of Zurich (UZH) Innovation Hub to facilitate academic exchange and industry engagement between King's and UZH through their Healthy Longevity Innovation Cluster, Dynamics of Healthy Ageing Research Priority Program and WHO Healthy Ageing Centre. The UK Embassy in Bern celebrated the partnership in late September 2021 by hosting an event including UZH Vice President (Research), King's Global Envoy (Health) and Head of WHO Decade of Healthy Ageing.
ARK Strategic Partnership with University of Zurich
Biological ageing R&D with Muhdo Health consumer epigenetics
ARK has established a R&D partnership in healthy ageing through innovative data sciences with Muhdo Health, a UK company providing consumer epigenetics testing. Together with ARK academics and industry partners, Muhdo aims to develop the next generation of technologies to better assess biological age by integrating epigenetic biomarkers with lifestyle and environmental data through advanced data analytics.
ARK biological aging research with consumer epigenetics
Nobel Laureate Prof Sir Peter Ratcliffe speaks at Metallomics and Oxygen Symposium
The London Metallomics Facility and ARK jointly hosted a symposium on 5 May 2021 featuring a keynote lecture by Prof Sir Peter Ratcliffe FRS, Director of Clinical Research at the Francis Crick Institute and Director of the Target Discovery Institute at Oxford University. He won the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019 jointly with William Kaelin (Harvard University) and Gregg Semenza (Johns Hopkins University), for their 'discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability'. Prof Reza Razavi, King's VP (Research) gave the vote of thanks.
King's Together Award - Metallomics Symposium
London Metallomics Facility
International Longevity Policy & Governance Summit - Longevity Week 2020
ARK hosted the Second Longevity Policy and Governance Summit as part of Longevity Week 2020, with the theme to address the challenges of ageing societies globally we can strive to ensure healthier, longer lives can be achieved by all. The keynote lecture was given by Prof Sir Robert Lechler, King's Provost and Senior VP (Health).
Longevity Policy and Governance Summit 2020
AI for Longevity Summit - Longevity Week 2019
ARK hosted the first AI for Longevity Summit at King's on 12 November 2019. This event included participation by financial institutions, insurance and technology companies and policy makers from across the public and private sectors. This summit led to the establishment of the Longevity AI Consortium and highlighted the importance of AI for R&D in healthy ageing. Prof Reza Razavi, King's VP (Research) and Director of the AI Centre for Value Based Healthcare participated in the summit.
Agenda for Longevity AI Summit 2019
International Longevity Policy & Governance Summit - Longevity Week 2019
ARK hosted the International Longevity Policy and Governance as part of Longevity Week 2019, bringing together policy experts, representatives of government bodies, healthcare and finance ministries, executives of healthcare and financial corporations to discuss initiatives for enhancing longevity. The event highlighted the international response to harnessing the opportunities of an ageing demographic, with lessons learned and shared across countries from a policy perspective – taking societal, cross sector and government approaches.
Agenda for Longevity Governance 2019
Insilico Medicine and ARK collaborate in AI for Healthy Longevity
Insilico Medicine, a biotech company developing the end-to-end drug discovery pipeline utilizing next-generation artificial intelligence, announces its partnership with ARK - dedicated to enhancing multidisciplinary research collaborations across King’s and King’s Health Partners to better understand the mechanisms of ageing and improving health-span.
Insilico Medicine and ARK partnership for healthy ageing
Funding for ARK research on physical activity for healthy longevity
ARK researchers in the Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences at KCL have been awarded £1.5m by Nadace The JetBrains Foundation to explore the effects of inactivity on physiological function. In collaboration with University of Birmingham, researchers examined the health of older adults who regularly exercised and the impact this had on ageing.
How exercise in old age preserves the immune system
ARK Research funding of £1.5m on healthy human ageing
Vascular Healthy Ageing Research at King's BHF Centre of Excellence funded by BIRAX
The King's School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences (Prof Manuel Mayr) together with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Prof Eli Keshet) were awarded funding in 2019 by the British Council BIRAX programme for a novel approach to combat age-associated deterioration of vascular function. Given the multiple roles of the vascular system, they propose that certain interventions can be geroprotective.
BIRAX funding award to King's for Cardiovascular Ageing
Launch of BIRAX Ageing Programme
The British Council UK-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Programme in Healthy Ageing was launched at the BIRAX conference hosted by ARK in September 2018. The conference was opened by David Quarrey, British Ambassador to Israel, Prof Lord Robert Winston & Prof Ruth Arnon, Co-Chairs, UK-Israel Science Council, Christian Duncumb, Director, British Council Israel and Prof Reza Razavi, King's Vice President (Research).
BIRAX 2018 Ageing Conference hosted by ARK
Keynote Event - Prof Sir Edward Byrne and Prof Sir Salvador Moncada
On 31 May 2018 ARK hosted a keynote event with talks by Prof Sir Edward Byrne AC, President & Principal of King’s and Prof Sir Salvador Moncada FRS, FMedSci, School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester. Prof Byrne spoke about mitochondria in ageing and Prof Moncada highlighted his distinguished research on nitric oxide in physiology and pathophysiology. Prof Sir Robert Lechler, Provost & Senior Vice President (Health) and Executive Director, King's Health Partners gave the vote of thanks.
ARK Keynote - Sir Edward Byrne & Sir Salvador Moncada