Funding Body: EU- 7th Framework

Duration: 2013 - 2016

Principal Investigator:

Prof. Karl-Heinz Wagner, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna
Project Assistance: Ass. Prof. Dr. Ruth Quint

National and International Partners:

Prof. Andrew Collins, University of Oslo, Norway
Prof. David Cameron-Smith, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Prof. Lyn Griffiths, Griffith University, Australia
Dr. Andrew Bulmer, Griffith University, Australia
Prof. Michael Fenech, CSIRO, Adelaide, Australia
Prof. Doris Marko, University of Vienna
Dr. Oliver Neubauer, University of Vienna

BIOAGE is a collaborative research project between five distinguished universities and research institutes in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. The overall aim of the proposed staff exchange programme is to build, extend and strengthen sustainable international collaborations between the partners so as to create a knowledge base for biomarker based research related to aging, sampling techniques in the elderly and biomonitoring studies. Further, young researchers should be trained to be the next biomarker experts.    

Within this aim the exchange objective is to provide researchers with: 1] an international platform to learn, train and apply novel biomarkers as well as sampling techniques and methods, 2] the opportunity to formulate new joint collaborative research and funding proposals, 3] the possibility to participate in large human biomonitoring studies, and 4] international exposure and intercultural understanding.

The exchange programme consists of visits ranging from 1-8 months for PhD students, postdoctoral and early career scientists and experienced researchers to enable research collaboration, access to an extended infrastructure base and the development of biomarker expertise at partner institutions.

The expertise and facilities of the partners are highly complementary and the synergy lies in the combination of expertise on biomarker quality and validation, sampling techniques, clinical trials with elderly, nutritional and physical activity interventions, as well in the experience of performing large studies. This is underpinned by extensive experience and expertise of the partners in complementary aspects of human aging.

The work plan consists of four work packages, one around management, one on biomarker validation and quality, one around invasive and non-invasive sample techniques specifically in clinical trials with elderly and one on the topic of planning, participating and database management of large human bio-monitoring studies.

The consortium will be sustainable through its close association with the topic of Biomarkers and the existing close collaborations. BIOAGE contributes to the EC priorities since it uses mobility to transfer knowledge and will create a network through which European centres of excellence will be enhanced through links with researchers from the rest of the world.