The 192nd Ordinary Meeting of the British Region of the International
Biometric Society will be held on Tuesday 7th December 1999 at 2:00 p.m. at
the Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol Street, London EC1Y 8LX. The topic
of the meeting is Biometry and Ageing.
Programme:
Quantitative analysis of ageing in Drosophila
Linda Partridge
University College London
The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster is widely used to study quantitative
aspects of the life history, including ageing. There is clear evidence of
important interactions between reproduction and lifespan. Quantitative
analysis of correlated responses to selection on fertility or mortality and
to experimental manipulation of the life history provides valuable
information on the genetics of ageing and longevity.
Estimating practical limits to human life expectancy
S. Jay Olshansky and Bruce A. Carnes
University of Chicago
We previously estimated by how much total mortality at all ages would have
to decline for life expectancy to rise to between 80 and 120 years. Recent
mortality data from the United States, France and Japan confirm the
prediction that gains in life expectancy are decelerating. Our analysis
predicts that life expectancy at birth for males and females combined is
unlikely to exceed 85 years in the absence of breakthroughs in biomedical
technology that influence the rate of ageing.
Modelling cell and molecular mechanisms of ageing
Tom Kirkwood and Axel Kowald
University of Newcastle and Humboldt University Berlin
Evolution theory predicts that multiple mechanisms contribute to ageing at
the cell and molecular level. Mathematical models provide an important
means to examine potential interactions that can help to plan experiments
and interpret data. Growing evidence indicates that stochastic factors play
a major role in generating intrinsic variation in the ageing phenotype,
offering a range of new opportunities for biometricians to become involved
in research into ageing.
For more information contact the Secretary
Rose Gaines Das, PhD CStat
Informatics Laboratory
National Institute for Biological Standards and Control
Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3QG
Tel: +44 (0) 1707 654753
Email: [log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|