Workshop
„Modern Methods of Molecular Age Research“

Together for a healthy ageing - within the framework of the German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/2010 and supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), an exchange of scientists and students of the Leibniz Institute for Age Research - Fritz Lipmann Institute e.V. (FLI), Jena and the China Agricultural University (CAU), Beijing was organised in October 2009 and March 2010.

The problem of the ageing society with all the social and economical consequences is not restricted to Germany and Europe anymore. It already reached China. Due to the politics of one child in China the fraction of people older than 65 years will double over the next 20 years. With this also the case number of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer will increase dramatically. It is therefore not surprising, that biomedical age research at Chinese universities becomes more and more important. Based on this, a workshop Modern Methods of Molecular Age Research was proposed and granted by the BMBF.

In the first part of the workshop, German scientists from FLI travelled to Beijing and presented their research. New contacts were made and collaborations established between FLI and CAU researchers. E.g., research groups at the FLI work on the molecular basis of Alzheimer's, whereas the CAU focus on the development of an effective and safe vaccine against this disease. In special interviews, students for a three week internship, master students and PhD students were selected. The scientific and organisational exchange led to a more efficient planning of the master programme with the CAU which already exist since 2008.

In the second part of the workshop, three students came to Jena in March 2010. They were able to learn specific methods on age research in different labs, with a main focus on Alzheimer's diseases, DNA repair and cell division. Finally a delegation of 6 Chinese scientists came to Jena and presented their work. The intense discussion during the meeting was the basis for new cooperation, material transfer and plans for the future to strengthen the fruitful interactions by joint grant applications. The workshop was perceived by all participants as highly interesting and successful.

The detailed schedules can be found here:

Schedule October 2009
Schedule March 2010