Research Home : research.helptheaged.org.uk : Outcomes : Biomedical :

Since its foundation in 1976, Research into Ageing has funded over 250 research projects. 

Some of the researchers we have supported have already achieved a number of successes in the following areas:

The Ageing Process 
Vision & Hearing  
Neurodegeneration 
Exercise, Falls & Muscle 
Bones and joints 
Incontinence 
Wound Healing  
Stroke and Circulation

The Ageing Process 
The ageing process affects us all, but not uniformly. Why do some age more 'successfully' than others? What are the processes involved and what are the factors influencing healthy ageing? How does ageing at the cellular level contribute to age-related disease? A clearer understanding of the underlying biological processes involved in ageing is necessary before cost-effective and realistic interventions to delay or prevent age-related illness can be developed.

In 2003, a Research into Ageing fellow, Dr Duncan Baird, invented a new technique for measuring the length of telomeres.  The new technique, called STELA, was published in Nature Genetics, will enable researchers to further knowledge of how telemere shortening is linked to age related disease and the development of cancers.

Prior to this research it was only possible to measure the average length from many cells. STELA can measure the telomere length in a single cell from any tissue sample.  This has revealed a possible explanation of how longevity can be inherited as there are large differences in the length of telomeres passes on from each parent.  Longer telemeres means that cells will keep dividing for longer, keeping the biological systems working as they should.  Telomeres are at the ends of chromosomes.  Unless a special enzyme, telomerase, is present, every time a cell divides the telomeres get shorter.  When they get too short, the cell stops dividing.

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Vision & Hearing 
Blindness and impaired vision become more common as we get older. In the UK 42% of people over 75 will develop cataracts, almost 50% will have age-related macular degeneration and 7% will be affected by from the most common form of glaucoma. Significant numbers of people will suffer from more than one condition.

With cataract there is a clouding of the lens, which means that light beams are scattered creating a blurred image. Cataracts can be removed by surgery and the success rate is high, but there is a risk of further clouding of the lens. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leads to the loss of the central field of vision, it is a major cause of registerable blindness in Western Europe and America. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve at the back of the eye and is associated with increased pressure within the eye.

Hearing loss becomes much more common as we get older, more than half of people over 60 have a hearing loss and 30% have to use a hearing aid. The most common cause of age related hearing loss is through disease or damage to the hearing organ in the inner ear, or the nerve that carries hearing information to the brain.

Hearing loss can create frustration, social isolation and loneliness, which can lead to low self-esteem, withdrawal and depression. In recent years much progress has been made in the field of hearing, however, the underlying defects that lead to late onset hearing loss are still unclear.

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Neurodegeneration 
Up to 700,000 people are estimated to be suffering from dementia in the UK today. It becomes much more common as we get older, with nearly 1 in every 20 people over the age of 65 being affected, this rises to 1 in 3 for people over 90. There are three main types of dementia - Alzheimer's disease, the most common type, accounting for 50-60% of cases, vascular dementia (a form of stroke disease) and dementia with Lewy bodies, which is responsible for up to 25% of cases. Whilst experiencing similar symptoms, disease progression varies.

Depression is a very common illness among older people, affecting about 1 person in 8 over 65. Depression seriously affects people's quality of life and has a huge impact on families too. It is often a contributory factor to suicide and self-harm. Evidence suggests that changes that occur in our brains as we get older (which can be viewed with neuroimaging techniques) are of major importance to the development of depression.

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Alzheimer's affects 1 person in 5 over the age of 80.  It costs the NHS more to treat Alzheimer's disease than any other single disorder 
John Hardy became a specialist in Alzheimer's disease "by accident" after he had been working on other areas of brain research in the UK and abroad.  In 1985 Research into Ageing gave him his first grant to study the genetic basis of this devastating disease. His team was the first to identify a mutation in the APP gene that causes Alzheimer's disease in some families.  This discovery revealed important information about which molecules within the brain's nerve cells are involved in the development of Alzheimer's - a huge step forward for researchers across the world.

Professor Hardy is now a leading researcher in the US.  He plays a key role in many international collaborations, applying the lessons learned in Alzheimer's disease to research into Parkinson's disease and stroke.

"Research into Ageing gave me my first grant when I was trying to get started. I cannot overestimate how important the first grant is. It enabled me to establish my group and reach a point where the Government's Medical Research Council and other agencies felt sufficiently confident to give us funds to progress. Now we are at a stage where treatment for Alzheimer's disease may be just around the corner.  It will be wonderful if it is true."

Scientific success is measured by citations, in 1991 the paper in Nature about this research was cited the second highest number of times of any scientific paper that year.

He has won the MetLife, the Allied Signal and the Potamkin Prize for his work in describing the first genetic mutations, in the amyloid gene in Alzheimer's disease, in 1991.

Professor Clive Ballard's study on the use of neuroleptics in dementia showed that over-prescribing has become a problem; with over 40% of people with dementia in care homes take these drugs.  The side-effects if neuroleptics include Parkinson-like symptoms, an increase in falls, social withdrawal and memory problems.  A randomised trial of withdrawal of treatment showed that these treatments can be safely stopped without symptoms becoming worse.

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Exercise, Falls & Muscle 
As we get older all of us lose strength and power even if we remain fit and healthy. If people have been immobile for a while because of illness or trauma such as falls and surgery and conditions such as arthritis, they will lose strength and power far more quickly. This can often be the first step in a downward spiral to loss of independence and ill health.

Falls are the biggest cause of accidental death in the UK, beating both road accidents and fires. On average in the UK an older person dies just over every five hours as the result of a fall at home. Falls can devastate health and quality of life. As we get older we fall more frequently - GP and hospital records show that one in three over 65's fall every year, but that figure rises to one in two for over 85 year olds. There are probably many more falls that go unreported, so this is only the tip of the iceberg. The number of falls in the UK has reached epidemic proportions and there are few signs of improvement. Research into Ageing is investigating three different ways of tackling these appalling statistics: by funding research into protective devices; safer environments and the best way of improving vulnerable older people's strength, flexibility and balance.

In 1990 mobility problems was a neglected area in geriatric medicine, Research into Ageing helped to change this with the first of a series of grants to Dr Dawn Skelton.  Her investigations into the relationship between exercise, muscle strength and stability was an important new phase of research, helping to stimulate interest in this area.  Her research showed that a graduated programme of planned exercise can increase strength, flexibility and balance for older people.  During this project, a group of women aged 75-93 improved the strength of their thigh muscles by an average of 25% in only 12 weeks of regular exercise – equal to making your thighs 16-20 years younger!

In 1997 Dr Skelton was awarded a three year Fellowship Grant to investigate what kind of exercise can help to prevent falls amongst people who have already had one or more falls.  This was a challenge as people who are unsteady on their feet are often not that keen on the idea of exercise.  Her research showed that specific, tailored exercises could, over time, reduce the likelihood of falling by up to 50% - even amongst frail older people.  This is a significant finding and the Department of Health immediately asked Dr Skelton to develop programmes to reduce the number of falls amongst people in residential care.

In November 2001 Professor Kenny published a paper showing that older people who have recurrent unexplained falls may be suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition.  She recommended that all older patients who have unexplained falls should be screened for cardio-inhibitory carotid sinus syndrome (CSS).

Instability in the circulatory and nervous systems can slow down the heart rate, causing dizziness and blackouts. Dizziness is one of the top three reasons that people over 75 seek help from their GP.  The falls and injuries that follow dizziness are distressing, and have an enormous impact on health services.  "We found that nearly one third of unexplained falls are due to a sudden drop in blood pressure or an abnormal slowing of the heart rate," says Professor Kenny.

Professor Kenny's research shows that many patients benefit from having a pacemaker – work is continuing, and doctors will soon be able to make more informed decisions about how to treat older people with unexplained falls.
Professor Kenny helped to develop the UK's only "faints and falls" clinic at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle Upon Tyne.  In September 2002 it was estimated that this clinic had saved the NHS £2.5 million.

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Bones and Joints 
Osteoporosis is a condition characterised by a thinning of the bones. As a result of hormonal changes after the menopause, the majority of women will develop osteoporosis to some extent and 50 to 70% of women will have an osteoporotic fracture at some time. One in twelve men will also suffer significant bone loss. Thin bones are more likely to fracture, with the spine, hip, thigh, wrist and forearm being most at risk. Osteoporotic fracture often leads to a hospital stay, which in turn can lead to loss of confidence and depression and a downward spiral to dependence. Some risk factors have been identified and some treatments can help to prevent bone loss (HRT and exercise for example), but new treatments are urgently required to replace bone mass once it has been lost.

Osteoarthritis is a common disabling disease involving a loss of cartilage in the joints, it becomes more common as we get older and affects about eight million people in the UK. Much is still not known about the disease and research is vital to increase understanding and enable new therapeutic and preventative treatments to be developed.

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Incontinence 
Incontinence is a problem of major proportions causing loss of dignity and self-esteem and great distress to sufferers and carers alike. It is estimated that between 3 and 3.5 million people suffer from urinary incontinence in the UK. More than half are over 65 and the majority are women. From its very first project, which started in 1978, RiA has been committed to learning more about the causes of incontinence and to improving the quality of life for people whose lives are affected by this condition.

Normally our bodies produce less urine at night than during the day; however, in nocturnal polyuria this pattern is reversed, making many night-time visits to the toilet necessary.  The result of poor sleep and exhaustion, making accidents and illness more likely.  Dr Paul McKeigue's research has established that 12 % of men and women aged 70-84 are likely to have nocturnal polyuria, and that this is not caused by a failure to concentrate urine at night.  Instead, it is associated with the increased rate of removal of salt (sodium) at night, controlled by a hormone called urodilatin, which has a 24 hour rhythm that is reversed in people with nocturnal polyuria.

The condition should be screened for, and treated where necessary, before elderly men with nocturia are referred for prostatic surgery.

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Wound Healing 
Chronic leg wounds are a significant cause of disability and distress for older people. They cost £1 billion per year to treat. Venous leg ulcers, accounting for 70-80% of all ulcers, occur when veins in the lower leg are unable to return blood from the leg. The veins become swollen and a small knock may then start the process of ulceration. Common aggravating factors include smoking and lack of exercise. Ulcers are mostly treated by compression of the leg with bandaging, but large ulcers may require skin grafting or surgery. Research is needed to improve these treatments and to identify new, effective drug treatments.

Pressure sores are skin wounds caused by constant sustained pressure on an area of skin, This pressure prevents blood supply and lymphatic drainage from getting to a persons skin, so the skin dies. Pressure sores occur when people are still for long periods of time, particularly after illnesses such as stroke or hip fracture. They are preventable through diet and appropriate nursing but are still common, particularly amongst older people.

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Stroke &  Circulation 
Cardiovascular and circulatory problems, such as stroke, blood pressure problems and heart attacks, are the commonest causes of death and disability for older people. Many studies into these conditions focus on younger patients. It is essential that investigations also look at these conditions in older people so that appropriate protective strategies and treatments can be developed for this group. There are over 100,000 first strokes every year in the UK, 90% of these affect people over 65 years. There is currently no effective treatment for stroke.

Professor Nancy Rothwell received a programme grant from Research into Ageing funded by the Community Fund in 2000 to study the potential usefulness of an anti-inflammatory agent, IL1 receptor antagonist as a treatment for stroke.  Preclinical studies showed enough promise to lead to a clinical trial to determine safety and tolerability warrants larger clinical trials to determine whether this can be used in stroke treatment.

The overall progress and importance and standing of Professor Nancy Rothwell's work on inflammation and injury in the brain was recognised as the recipient of the prestigious 2003 Pfizer Award for Innovative Science.

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