Ulysseus Research Summit: Towards innovations in ageing and well-being

Ulysseus Research Summit: Towards innovations in ageing and well-being

This inaugural international conference for Ageing and Well-being was organised by the University Côte d’Azur in conjunction with Ulysseus European University. It took place on October 18-19th 2023 in Nice, France.

Conference objectives

  • To share the state of the art within the ageing and well-being field
  • To create a platform for interactions between scientists in both the ageing and well-being field to stimulate interdisciplinary research collaborations within and outside of Europe
  • Establish strong links between ageing and well-being research to boost innovation and address this key societal challenge
  • Strengthen the local, national and international ageing and well-being R&I ecosystem.

TINAW 2023 aftermovie

Keynote speakers

Prof. Vera Gorbunova

Vera Gorbunova

University of Rochester

Presentation title: Inter-species ageing patterns / Comparative biology of ageing

Prof. Vera Gorbunova is a Professor in Biology, co-director of the Rochester Aging Research Center, and co-director of the Gorbunova and Seluanov Laboratory at the University of Rochester.
Gorbunova’s research is focused on aging, DNA repair, and cancer, as well as the understanding the mechanisms of longevity and cancer resistance of exceptionally long-lived mammals, in particular the naked mole rat. Her lab’s goals include developing strategies that extend lifespan and health span as well as interventions to prevent and treat age-related illnesses.
Gorbunova pioneered a comparative biology approach to study aging and identified rules that control the evolution of tumor suppressor mechanisms depending on the species’ lifespan and body mass.

Prof. Kyung A Cho

kyung a choo

Chonnan National University Medical School
Medispan Co.

Presentation title:  Modified version of flagellin to delay ageing and improve healthy ageing

Prof. Kyung A Cho is a dedicated researcher and professor specializing in the field of aging biology, with a particular interest in cellular senescence and immune aging. During her doctoral studies at Seoul National University College of Medicine, she began exploring the complex mechanisms of aging biology, focusing on cellular senescence and signal transduction pathways.
Upon joining Chonnam National University Medical School as a professor, Prof. Cho expanded her research interests to investigate the increased susceptibility to infections in the elderly population and potential ways to enhance immune aging. Her research has led to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the aging process and its impact on the immune system. Prof. Cho has been working on a technology that targets immune aging, with the aim of extending healthspan and improving the quality of life for the elderly. In order to translate her innovative research findings into practical applications, she founded MediSpan, a company dedicated to the development and advancement of this technology.
Through her ongoing work at MediSpan, Prof. Cho continues to contribute to the field of aging biology and immune aging research, seeking novel approaches to enhance the lives of the elderly population.

Dr. Casper Kaiser

Casper Kaiser

University of Oxford

Presentation title:  Machine Learning in the Prediction of Human Well-being

Dr. Caspar Kaiser is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Methodology and Statistics at Tilburg University, and will join Warwick Business School in the same capacity from September 2023. He is also a research affiliate at Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre and Institute for New Economic Thinking, as well as a trustee of the Happier Lives Institute. Caspar holds a DPhil and MSc in Social Policy from Oxford University.
His research focuses on the measurement and determinants of human wellbeing. Regarding measurement, he works on improving the comparability of survey data on people’s feelings and analyses whether such data can measure welfare cardinally. Concerning determinants, he is particularly interested in how social comparisons and inequalities, particularly with respect to household incomes, shape people’s wellbeing.
Caspar also has an active interest in the wider normative implications of using subjective data, in welfare measurement, and in current developments in machine learning.

Dr. José Márquez

Dr. José Márquez

University of Manchester

Presentation title:  The state-of-the-art research and initiatives in the field of adolescent well-being measurement and promotion.

Dr. Jose Marquez is an experienced researcher, university lecturer, and consultant with expertise in child and adolescent wellbeing. He is particularly interested in studying how schools, organizations, and communities can improve the wellbeing of children and young people. He is currently based at the University of Manchester, where he works on the ground-breaking #BeeWell project to assess and promote adolescent wellbeing. He is also a Research Associate at the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Before, he was an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge.
Jose’s research has been published in leading scientific journals. He has been awarded prestigious research grants and fellowships, and presented his work at over 20 national and international conferences and seminars. He has also contributed to numerous initiatives on child and adolescent wellbeing measurement and promotion led by reputed organisations in the United Kingdom and international organisations such as the OECD, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation.

Sessions & Agenda

Mechanism of ageing
1

Mechanism of ageing

Ageing well
2

Ageing well

Well-being: a paradigm of multidisciplinary research
3

Well-being: a paradigm of multidisciplinary research

Lifelong well-being
4

Lifelong well-being

Wednesday 18.10.2023

8.30 Registration

08.45 Opening Ceremony

  • Welcome Speech by Cécile Sabourault, Vice President for International Affairs Université Côte d’Azur, France

Session 1: Mechanisms of ageing
Chair: Dr. Aida Platero-Luengo

  • 09.00 Prof. Vera Gorbunova, University of Rochester, USA: Mechanisms of longevity: from naked mole rats towhales
  • 10.00 Julien Cherfils-Vicini, Université Côte d’Azur, France: Targeting the Senescence associated ImmuneCheckpoint to blunt age-related diseases andcancers.
  • 10.45 Coffee break
  • 11.00 Dmitry Bulavin, Université Côte d’Azur, France: In search of molecular Shangri-La:building diseasetolerance and broad defense mechanisms byp16High immune cell subsets
  • 11.45 Dr. Aida Platero-Luengo, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain: Reprogramming neural cells towards a rejuvanatedstate to promote brain health
  • 12.30 Bogdan Grigorash, Ulysseus Post-Doc Fellow: Liver rejuvenation by 4 factor mediated partialreprogramming in the absence of p16Highsenescent cells

12.45 Lunch break

Session 2:Ageing Well
Chair: Dr. Dmitry Bulavin

  • 14.00 Prof. Kyung Cho, Founder/CEO Medispan, South Korea: TLR5 in Focus: Pioneering Immune-Centric Anti-Aging with Enhanced Flagellin
  • 15:00 Simone Battista, Università di Genova, Italy: Sex and age gaps in the outcomes of andadherence to a digital self-managementintervention for osteoarthritis
  • 15:45 Giulia Allavena, Ulysseus Post-Doc Fellow: The role of cGAS-STING in the aging tumormicroenvironment
  • 16:00 Coffee break
  • 16:15 Prof. Anne-Sophie Rousseau, Université Côte d’Azur, France. Targeting T cell metabolism to increase vitalitycapacity: exercise and exercise-mimetic strategies.
  • 17:00 Prof. Emilio Di Maria, Università di Genova, Italy: Centenarians and oldest-olds in Liguria – COOL:investigation on cognitive status in centenariansfrom Genova. A multidisciplinary approach toinvestigate the genetic determinants of cognitivewell-being in the oldest population.
  • 17:45 Stephen Ramanoel, Université Côte d’Azur, France: How visual aging impacts spatial navigationabilities: A neurocognitive approach

19:30 Gala Dinner (for the confirmed guests only)

 

Thursday 19.10.2023

8.00 Registration

Session 3: Transdisciplinary Approaches
Chair: Dr. John Rowell

  • 09.00 Dr Caspar Kaiser, Warwick Business School, University of Oxford, UK: Machine Learning in the Prediction of HumanWellbeing
  • 10:00 Umair Ali Khan, Haaga-Helia, Finland: Navigating the Ethical Crossroads of AI inHuman Wellbeing: Trust, Acceptability and Explainability
  • 10:45 Coffee break
  • 11:00 Prof. Dr. Michael Brach, Universität Münster, Germany: Developing and Testing an Interactive HealthData Management System for IntegratedCare: The PROCare4Life project
  • 11:45 Dr. Mar Elena, Dr. Susana P. Gaytan, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain: Could the interfaces be improved forcognitive training in aging processes? AMultidisciplinary approach
  • 12:30 Flavio Da Silva, Ulysseus Post-Doc Fellow: Motor strategy identification during loadedand unloaded sit-to-stand movements as anindicator of muscle function loss forpersonalizing adapted physical activity in theelderly

12.45 Lunch break

Session 4: Well-being: greater than the sum of its parts
Chair: Prof. Anne Vuillemin

  • 14:00 Dr Jose Marquez, University of Manchester, UK: Adolescent Wellbeing: local and globalresponses to build prosperous societies
  • 15:00 Daniela Onofrejova, Technological University of Kosice, Slovakia: Human Maintenance As Tool For SustainableHealth
  • 15:45 Claudia Zoller, Ulysseus Post-Doc Fellow: The healthy youth Tyrol project aims atfostering healthy behavior in adolescents byactively promoting physical activity with thehelp of behavioral tools.
  • 16:00 Coffee Break
  • 16:15 Ayman Fouda, Management Center Innsbruck, Austria: The Effectiveness of Different Regulations inPromoting (Generic) Medications
  • 17:00 Dr Guilhem Lecouteux, Université Côte d’Azur, France: The behavioural welfare economics of ageing

17:45 Closing
Dr. John Rowell, Université Côte d’Azur, France

 

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