The Buck Institute in California has opened a unique research centre specifically focused on the ageing of female reproductive organs. This centre, the Reproductive Biology Hub, is helping scientists to better understand how ageing affects the health and function of ovaries and other female hormone glands. This allows them to investigate which factors accelerate ageing and how this process might potentially be slowed down.
The Reproductive Biology Hub not only offers advanced technologies, but also support and training to researchers who do not specialise in female reproductive biology. Often, scientists know a lot about ageing, but little about female reproduction, or vice versa. This centre brings that expertise together and helps new collaborations to emerge. It is the first and only centre in the world that focuses entirely on the interplay between reproduction and ageing in women.
The importance of this research is growing because many studies have long focused primarily on male subjects. As a result, we know less about how women age, while hormonal changes during ageing have a major impact on health. By gathering more knowledge on how female reproduction ages, better recommendations and treatments can be developed to promote healthy ageing.
The new facility also encourages promising researchers to explore this field and supports them with practical help and expert advice. This makes it easier to make important discoveries that also benefit older people outside the laboratory. These developments can lead to a better quality of life and a longer period of health for women.
For people who want to remain healthy and active after forty, it is valuable to know how hormonal ageing progresses and what options there are to influence this as best as possible.
Source: Buck Institute
