As Canadian baby boomers enter their golden years, the number of seniors in this country is growing and will have an impact on the volume and cost of health care. A study at the BC Cancer Agency is helping to understand what genetic factors promote healthy aging, and increase resistance to common age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease.

The Healthy Aging Study at the BC Cancer Agency is examining the genetic variants associated with healthy aging and age-related diseases. The first paper in this study – published in collaboration with the University of Missouri – appears online today in the journal Genome Research.

Led by Dr. Angela Brooks-Wilson, Senior Scientist at the BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sciences Centre, and Dr. Donald Riddle, Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri, the team analyzed several gene expression (SAGE) libraries from roundworms with a mutated form of the daf-2 gene, a principal factor in determining the lifespan of C. elegans.  Worms that lack fully functional daf-2 have significantly extended lives, they live about twice as long as their wild counterparts.This research will be an important tool, as the genetic blueprint of this model organism provides clues to the workings of the human genome.

The analysis of aging in this worm model is part of an effort at the BC Cancer Agency to characterize genes that contribute to healthy aging and freedom from age-associated diseases like cancer, in humans. The human study will enroll 500 healthy individuals over the age of 85 who have never been diagnosed with cancer, cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, diabetes or Alzheimer's disease, and who have an excellent quality of life.

"While obviously worms and people are not the same, analysis of model organisms like C. elegans can provide essential insight into human biology," notes Dr. Julius Halaschek-Wiener, first author on the SAGE study. "We will use data from the worm research to help choose genes to be assessed in the Healthy Aging Study."

The researchers hope that their study will contribute to our understanding of human aging.  "Many processes involved in nematode aging may have fundamental and analogous roles in humans," Dr. Brooks-Wilson explains.  "The human equivalents of some worm genes identified in this study have been associated with human age-related diseases."

Strikingly, the researchers found that in the early and mid-life stages of the daf-2 mutants, the genes associated with metabolism showed reduced activity. This state became less pronounced with advanced age. "We speculate that the apparently reduced rate of activity in early and mid-life adults contributes substantially to the longevity of daf-2," says Dr. Halaschek-Wiener.

Daf-2 was first reported as a critical gene associated with aging in 1993, but since then, scientists have identified dozens of additional genes that are crucial for longevity.  "Aging is a complex process," says Dr. Brooks-Wilson. "It is commonly believed that a variety of genes and metabolic pathways contribute to the deterioration of cells, tissues and organisms during aging."

The Healthy Aging Study is currently recruiting eligible individuals over the age of 85 who would like to get involved as study participants. For more information, or to enroll in the study, please call 604.707.5967.

The Health Aging Study is funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

The BC Cancer Agency, a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer, and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer.  It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care.  The BC Cancer Foundation supports research and care at the BC Cancer Agency and BC Cancer Research Centre.

For more information, please contact:

Nicole Adams

Public Relations Officer

BC Cancer Agency

Tel: 604.877.6272

Email: nadams@bccancer.bc.ca