PRR Project

Summary

Scientific progress over the past three decades has revolutionized our understanding of aging, revealing that its biology can be approached much like that of typical human biology or pathologies. The notion of aging as an insurmountably complex and inevitable aspect of life, resistant to study or yielding progress in health outcomes, has vanished from scientific discourse and textbooks. Instead, various researchers have unveiled methods to identify and quantify molecular damage associated with aging, delineated hallmarks of aging, elucidated molecular mechanisms and gene networks involved in aging, and underscored aging´s pivotal role as the major driver of age-related diseases. Sophisticated assays, along with cellular and animal models, have also been devised to study aging processes and various anti-aging drugs have been discovered, with some progressing through clinical trials. Crucially, the concept of biological aging and methods for its quantification have facilitated investigations into the effects of gene manipulation, drug interventions, nutritional influences, and environmental factors, fostering a multidisciplinary approaches to unravelling aging biology.The available position seeks to bolster the MIA-Portugal research team´s efforts to address overlooked aspects of aging. Specifically, it focuses on elucidating alterations in the synapse architecture during aging and their implications for cognitive decline. The successful candidate will spearhead research projects centred on synapse biology in the context of aging and chronic diseases, securing national and international competitive funding to establish a cutting-edge research group. Additionally, he/she will mentor a new generation of scientists in these areas while actively engaging in teaching activities at the second and third cycles.Moreover, the candidate will collaborate on the development of products or services with industrial partners, leveraging their expertise to advance scientific dissemination efforts within their field. Preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated research background and a drive to unravel the molecular underpinnings of age-related cognitive decline and memory loss in humans. Their work should concentrate on morphological and molecular alterations inflicted upon synapses by aging, scrutinizing synaptic organization at the nanoscale, particularly trans-synaptic connections, and exploring novel mechanisms governing synaptic plasticity and dynamic protein interactions.