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Ageing Research at King’s (ARK) is a cross-faculty multidisciplinary consortium of investigators which brings together scholarship and research in ageing in several complementary areas. ARK is a leading industry-academic R&D hub for personalised and preventive diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics. ARK represents King’s world class excellence for research on the biology of ageing, from the basic mechanisms in biogerontology to clinical translation and the social impact of ageing to better inform global policy makers.

ARK web figure

The primary purpose of ARK is to enhance multidisciplinary research collaborations within King’s and our external global academic and industry partners to better understand the mechanisms of ageing and to improve health-span and longevity in the community. ARK is uniquely positioned to address the challenges of an ageing world, and to provide answers at multiple levels, from cellular mechanisms and regenerative therapies to social sciences, influencing government policies, consumer industries and clinical research. ARK hosts a series of talks and symposia on ageing and healthy longevity - selected events are listed under the Activity tab below.

Publications

Paper of the month:

Belsky et al. (2022) DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging. eLife 11:e73420  

Selected ageing research publications from across King's:

    Awards

     Selected Ageing Research Funding at King's:

    1. Comparing the phenotypes and trajectories of human ageing associated with exercise or inactivity: with a particular focus on the biology of skeletal muscle and the immune system (Nadace The JetBrains Foundation)

    2. Mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle cell ageing and calcification –developing a timeline for novel therapeutic interventions (British Heart Foundation)

    3. TwinsUK Imaging: A Resource for Ageing Research (Chronic Disease Research Foundation)

    4. Mathematical modelling of muscle stem cell behaviour in ageing (Leverhulme Trust),

    5. The Sciences of ageing and the culture of youth: 1880 to the present day (MRC Medical Research Council),

    6. Microvascular dysfunction and inflammation in the brain ageing (Stavanger University Hospital),

    7. Decoding the role of follicle stimulating hormone in ovarian ageing (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

    8. Modelling brain ageing using neuroimaging to improve brain health in older adults (MRC Medical Research Council),

    9. The influence of TRPA1 signalling on the response to cold exposure as ageing occurs (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

    10. Function of post-translational modifications of protein backbones in signalling and molecular ageing (Wellcome Trust),

    11. Promoting mental wellbeing in the ageing urban population: determinants, policies and interventions in European cities - MINDMAP (EC European Commission),

    12. 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),

    13. Lifecourse biological pathways underlying social differences in healthy ageing (LIFEPATH) (EC European Commission),

    14. The underlying mechanisms of ageing in the inner ear (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

    15. Colorado adoption/twin Study of lifespan behavioural development and cognitive ageing (CATSLife) (NIH National Institutes of Health),

    16. ATHLOS - ageing trajectories of health: longitudinal opportunities and synergies (EC European Commission),

    17. Multi-scale analysis of B cell responses in ageing (MRC Medical Research Council),

    18. Mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle cell ageing and calcification (BHF British Heart Foundation),

    19. The role of multi-innervated dendritic spines in memory formation in ageing (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

    20. Exploring frailty, mental health and related outcomes: a multi-cultural population based approach to ageing (MRC Medical Research Council),

    21. Midlife pace of ageing in the Dunedin study (MRC Medical Research Council),

    22. 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

    Activities

    longevity-consortium2
    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.

    LSF-ARK-IoPPN
    Longevity Science Foundation Partnership

    The ARK-LSF partnership launch was hosted by the School of Academic Psychiatry and included talks by Lisa Ireland (CEO, LSF), Guy Goodwin (CMO, COMPASS Pathways), Allan Young (Vice-Dean, Academic Psychiatry) and Dag Aarsland (Head, Old Age Psychiatry). The partnership will advance research and education in healthy ageing, longevity and psychological well-being.

    Oxford-RadCamera
    Oxford Ageing Research Hub Partnership

    The University of Oxford Ageing Research Collaborative Hub (ARCH) partnership aims to develop research collaborations, public engagement events, education initiatives and academic exchanges with ARK. ARCH includes the Institute of Population Ageing and Oxford Ageing Network (OxAgeN).

    NICA-Newcastle
    UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) Partnership

    ARK has partnered with NICA at Newcastle University to establish joint education, research and innovation activities. This will be initiated through a King's based VOICE chapter, symposia and researcher exchanges. Together with Collider Health, NICA launched the "Quantum Healthy Longevity" initiative at a Longevity Week event hosted by ARK with Keynote by Lord James Bethell.

    ARK-Longevity Week 2022
    ARK Longevity Week 2022 Event

    The ARK hybrid event "Data-Driven Longevity: Digital technologies for collaborative innovation and healthy longevity" on 18 November included a keynote lecture by Sarah Harper, Director, Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford and talks by ARK academic and industry partners. The program and recordings are available below.

    sleep hero
    SleepCity at King's partners with ARK

    The Sleep and Brain Plasticity Centre (SleepCity) at King's is a collaboration between Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s Hospital. ARK related projects will explore the role of sleep on cognitive ageing, neurodegeneration and interventions for healthy longevity.

    Clinical Neuroscience and Forensic mental health
    ARK Partners with Centre for Mental Health Research & Innovation

    King's new Centre for Mental Health Research & Innovation led by Allan Young, Vice Dean, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, will be developing a partnership with ARK. In collaboration with the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and COMPASS Pathways, research in the Centre will include psychedelics, cannabinoids and new models of care for mental and cognitive wellness in ageing societies.

    Eating-healthy-diet-can-ease-symptoms-of-depression-430x275
    Longevity Centre collaborates with ARK to identify biomarkers of healthy ageing

    The Longevity Centre (Germany and Poland) and International Institute of Longevity (Liechtenstein) will develop collaborations with ARK to utilise AI informatics for the identification of biomarkers of healthy ageing and to develop personalised lifestyle interventions. The research will by funded by industry partners and EU grants involving academics across King's.

    Remote-Assessment-Disease-and-Relapse-Alzheimers-Disease-430x275
    ARK partners with RADAR-AD

    ARK is pleased to partner with Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse - Alzheimer’s Disease, a platform led by Prof Dag Aarsland, Head of Old Age Psychiatry at King's, to transform patient care through remote assessment using mobile technologies to identify digital biomarkers for predicting deterioration. This consortium of academic and industry members is funded by the European Commission Innovative Medicines Initiative.

    ARK-LW-Keynote
    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).

    UK Embassy Bern
    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.

    dna b
    Biological ageing R&D with Muhdo Health

    ARK has established a collaboration in healthy ageing and informatics with Muhdo Health a consumer epigenetics platform. Together with ARK academics and industry partners, Muhdo aims to develop the next generation of technologies to better assess biological age by integrating biomarkers with lifestyle and environmental data through advanced data analytics.

    780x440_Peter Ratcliffe_promo
    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.

    ARK actively participated in APPG 2020 International Longevity Policy & Governance Summit
    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).

    richard-siow-matt-hancock-2
    All Party Parliamentary Group for Longevity: National Strategy Launch, February 2020

    As a founding member of the APPG for Longevity, ARK hosted the launch of the "Health of the Nation" report with keynote lecture by the Health Secretary Rt Hon. Matt Hancock MP and talks by Damian Green MP, Lord Geoffrey Filkin, Jon Ashworth MP, Lord Kerslake, Lord O’Shaughnessy, Prof Sir Robert Lechler, KCL Provost and Senior VP (Health) and other distinguished speakers.

    longevity-consortium3
    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.

    Longevity Policy 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.

    ARK Insilico medicine
    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.

    Professors Norman Lazarus and Stephen Harridge
    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.

    Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences job opportunities
    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.

    birax2018
    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).

    Ed Byrne & Salvador Moncada ARK 31-05-18
    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.

    Publications

    Paper of the month:

    Belsky et al. (2022) DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging. eLife 11:e73420  

    Selected ageing research publications from across King's:

      Awards

       Selected Ageing Research Funding at King's:

      1. Comparing the phenotypes and trajectories of human ageing associated with exercise or inactivity: with a particular focus on the biology of skeletal muscle and the immune system (Nadace The JetBrains Foundation)

      2. Mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle cell ageing and calcification –developing a timeline for novel therapeutic interventions (British Heart Foundation)

      3. TwinsUK Imaging: A Resource for Ageing Research (Chronic Disease Research Foundation)

      4. Mathematical modelling of muscle stem cell behaviour in ageing (Leverhulme Trust),

      5. The Sciences of ageing and the culture of youth: 1880 to the present day (MRC Medical Research Council),

      6. Microvascular dysfunction and inflammation in the brain ageing (Stavanger University Hospital),

      7. Decoding the role of follicle stimulating hormone in ovarian ageing (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

      8. Modelling brain ageing using neuroimaging to improve brain health in older adults (MRC Medical Research Council),

      9. The influence of TRPA1 signalling on the response to cold exposure as ageing occurs (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

      10. Function of post-translational modifications of protein backbones in signalling and molecular ageing (Wellcome Trust),

      11. Promoting mental wellbeing in the ageing urban population: determinants, policies and interventions in European cities - MINDMAP (EC European Commission),

      12. 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),

      13. Lifecourse biological pathways underlying social differences in healthy ageing (LIFEPATH) (EC European Commission),

      14. The underlying mechanisms of ageing in the inner ear (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

      15. Colorado adoption/twin Study of lifespan behavioural development and cognitive ageing (CATSLife) (NIH National Institutes of Health),

      16. ATHLOS - ageing trajectories of health: longitudinal opportunities and synergies (EC European Commission),

      17. Multi-scale analysis of B cell responses in ageing (MRC Medical Research Council),

      18. Mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle cell ageing and calcification (BHF British Heart Foundation),

      19. The role of multi-innervated dendritic spines in memory formation in ageing (BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council),

      20. Exploring frailty, mental health and related outcomes: a multi-cultural population based approach to ageing (MRC Medical Research Council),

      21. Midlife pace of ageing in the Dunedin study (MRC Medical Research Council),

      22. 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

      Activities

      longevity-consortium2
      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.

      LSF-ARK-IoPPN
      Longevity Science Foundation Partnership

      The ARK-LSF partnership launch was hosted by the School of Academic Psychiatry and included talks by Lisa Ireland (CEO, LSF), Guy Goodwin (CMO, COMPASS Pathways), Allan Young (Vice-Dean, Academic Psychiatry) and Dag Aarsland (Head, Old Age Psychiatry). The partnership will advance research and education in healthy ageing, longevity and psychological well-being.

      Oxford-RadCamera
      Oxford Ageing Research Hub Partnership

      The University of Oxford Ageing Research Collaborative Hub (ARCH) partnership aims to develop research collaborations, public engagement events, education initiatives and academic exchanges with ARK. ARCH includes the Institute of Population Ageing and Oxford Ageing Network (OxAgeN).

      NICA-Newcastle
      UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) Partnership

      ARK has partnered with NICA at Newcastle University to establish joint education, research and innovation activities. This will be initiated through a King's based VOICE chapter, symposia and researcher exchanges. Together with Collider Health, NICA launched the "Quantum Healthy Longevity" initiative at a Longevity Week event hosted by ARK with Keynote by Lord James Bethell.

      ARK-Longevity Week 2022
      ARK Longevity Week 2022 Event

      The ARK hybrid event "Data-Driven Longevity: Digital technologies for collaborative innovation and healthy longevity" on 18 November included a keynote lecture by Sarah Harper, Director, Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford and talks by ARK academic and industry partners. The program and recordings are available below.

      sleep hero
      SleepCity at King's partners with ARK

      The Sleep and Brain Plasticity Centre (SleepCity) at King's is a collaboration between Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s Hospital. ARK related projects will explore the role of sleep on cognitive ageing, neurodegeneration and interventions for healthy longevity.

      Clinical Neuroscience and Forensic mental health
      ARK Partners with Centre for Mental Health Research & Innovation

      King's new Centre for Mental Health Research & Innovation led by Allan Young, Vice Dean, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, will be developing a partnership with ARK. In collaboration with the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and COMPASS Pathways, research in the Centre will include psychedelics, cannabinoids and new models of care for mental and cognitive wellness in ageing societies.

      Eating-healthy-diet-can-ease-symptoms-of-depression-430x275
      Longevity Centre collaborates with ARK to identify biomarkers of healthy ageing

      The Longevity Centre (Germany and Poland) and International Institute of Longevity (Liechtenstein) will develop collaborations with ARK to utilise AI informatics for the identification of biomarkers of healthy ageing and to develop personalised lifestyle interventions. The research will by funded by industry partners and EU grants involving academics across King's.

      Remote-Assessment-Disease-and-Relapse-Alzheimers-Disease-430x275
      ARK partners with RADAR-AD

      ARK is pleased to partner with Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse - Alzheimer’s Disease, a platform led by Prof Dag Aarsland, Head of Old Age Psychiatry at King's, to transform patient care through remote assessment using mobile technologies to identify digital biomarkers for predicting deterioration. This consortium of academic and industry members is funded by the European Commission Innovative Medicines Initiative.

      ARK-LW-Keynote
      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).

      UK Embassy Bern
      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.

      dna b
      Biological ageing R&D with Muhdo Health

      ARK has established a collaboration in healthy ageing and informatics with Muhdo Health a consumer epigenetics platform. Together with ARK academics and industry partners, Muhdo aims to develop the next generation of technologies to better assess biological age by integrating biomarkers with lifestyle and environmental data through advanced data analytics.

      780x440_Peter Ratcliffe_promo
      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.

      ARK actively participated in APPG 2020 International Longevity Policy & Governance Summit
      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).

      richard-siow-matt-hancock-2
      All Party Parliamentary Group for Longevity: National Strategy Launch, February 2020

      As a founding member of the APPG for Longevity, ARK hosted the launch of the "Health of the Nation" report with keynote lecture by the Health Secretary Rt Hon. Matt Hancock MP and talks by Damian Green MP, Lord Geoffrey Filkin, Jon Ashworth MP, Lord Kerslake, Lord O’Shaughnessy, Prof Sir Robert Lechler, KCL Provost and Senior VP (Health) and other distinguished speakers.

      longevity-consortium3
      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.

      Longevity Policy 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.

      ARK Insilico medicine
      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.

      Professors Norman Lazarus and Stephen Harridge
      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.

      Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences job opportunities
      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.

      birax2018
      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).

      Ed Byrne & Salvador Moncada ARK 31-05-18
      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 Global

      Our Partners

      ARK facilitates collaborations with researchers across the breadth of King's College London, King's Health Partners and the Health Innovation Network. ARK has affiliated principal investigators in every Faculty at King's including the TransCampus and the Francis Crick Institute. We value our UK and international partners and take a holistic approach to our ageing and longevity collaborations with a view to develop innovative partnerships between academia and industry.

      Our partnerships include the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA), Longevity Science Foundation, Twins UKAlzheimer's Research UK, Heart Research UKInternational Society on Ageing & Disease and we are the founding academic member of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Longevity. 

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