In our lab, we study the physiological and molecular determinants of aging and lifespan, and we do so in a quantitative manner. For this, we use the nematode C.elegans as a fast-aging genetically tractable model, and we use it with a combination of tools such as the Lifespan Machine. Reproducibility is an important issue in aging research.
To overcome this, large population of animals are often required for measuring robust changes in lifespan, and therefore, this process really benefits from automated high-throughput protocols. Lots of people have used the Lifespan Machine for many different purposes and are really happy about that. For our own applications, the two most significant findings are, first, in 2016, our discovery of temporal scaling as a common outcome of many interventions in aging.
And second, in 2022, our discovery that healthspan and lifespan are determined by distinct underlying physical declines. The Lifespan Machine adapts commonly used agar plate protocols to collect survival and behavioral aging data from large populations of nematodes. By automation and high-frequency of image acquisition, it eliminates the daily tedious process of by-hand survival assays and gathers previously unattainable datasets on nematode behavior.
