From chronology to the biology of aging, and its tuning by mitochondrial health: overview of the Bioenergetics, Mitochondria, and Metabolism subgroup symposium at the 2021 Virtual 65th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society

Abstract

A distinguished group of researchers congregated at one of the symposia during the 2021 Virtual Meeting organized by the Biophysical Society, to speak about the critically important role played by mitochondrial functionality in healthy aging. The latest research trends expressed by the speakers during the meeting resulted in an updated display of novel emerging molecular targets involved in keeping mitochondrial health during metabolic disorder and until late in life. Besides offering insightful views on the impact of mitochondrial healthy function on the biology of aging in different organs such as the liver and cardiac and skeletal muscle, their distinct experimental approaches showed a significant convergence in results, a reassuring hallmark of scientific excellence. The interdisciplinary crossroad of biology, biophysics, and biochemistry, evidenced during the symposium organized by the Bioenergetics, Mitochondria, and Metabolism subgroup, is another example of fruitful collaboration at one of the scientific frontiers represented by human aging.

Keywords: Mitochondrial function; healthspan; lifespan; nutrient sensing.

Fig. 1

Hallmarks of aging (inspired by Lopez-Otin et al. 2013) emphasizing mitochondrial dysfunction and deregulated nutrient sensing which were analyzed during the session