The digital ageing map: development of web tools for the integration and visualization of age-related changes at various biological levels

The process of ageing in mammals is characterized by changes at different biological levels, from mundane physiological and functional changes like decreased body weight and stamina with age, to more subtle changes at the molecular level. The aim of this project is to develop a Digital Ageing Map: a web resource featuring the collection of molecular, cellular and physiological age-related data for mice and humans. Data on pathologies associated with age, including mortality data from specific diseases, will also be included. Data will be compiled from various sources, including publically available online repositories, governmental health statistics and books and other publications. Not only will the Digital Ageing Map serve as the first centralized collection of ageing changes by integrating and making available different types of studies, but visualisation tools will be developed to allow users to browse the information interactively. Users will be able to use a 3-dimensional model of each organism to view how ageing changes in one organ occur in parallel with changes in another organ and with overall changes to the entire body. At a single mouse click, users will be able to select a given organ for more detailed information such as data on age-related changes at the molecular and cellular levels. The Digital Ageing Map will be very useful for researchers to relate a given set of changes with ageing (e.g., molecular changes in one organ) with changes at other levels (e.g., hormonal changes). It will also be useful for researchers to develop new models of ageing, including new mathematical models that describe ageing and may provide new information on how different processes drive ageing and age-related disease. The resource will also provide invaluable data for healthcare policy makers.

The process of ageing in mammals is characterized by multiple changes at different biological levels. Some of these changes, such as physiological parameters like body weight, metabolism and certain hormones, have been studied for decades, while others like transcriptional changes only now are becoming better documented. Nonetheless, there is presently no resource to obtain data on age-related changes at different biological levels. The aim of this project is to develop a Digital Ageing Map: an integrated web resource featuring molecular, cellular and physiological age-related changes for mice and humans. Age-related pathology data, including mortality data from specific diseases, will also be included. Data will be compiled from various sources, including public gene expression repositories, governmental health statistics and books and other publications. Not only will the Digital Ageing Map serve as the first centralized collection of ageing changes by integrating and making available different types of studies, but visualisation tools will be developed to allow users to browse the information interactively. Presenting information in an easy-to-understand visual form is a powerful means of fostering the analysis and interpretation of large datasets and of allowing researchers to identify gaps in knowledge and develop new research directions. The Digital Ageing Map will be valuable to researchers performing different experiments to relate their findings to research at other biological levels. It will also be useful for modelling ageing, in particular for developing quantitative and integrative models and for developing system-level models of ageing.