Saif bin Zayed attends Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed lecture exploring science of ageing in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI / WAM

HH Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, attended a Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed lecture exploring the science of ageing, presented by renowned genetics expert Dr David Sinclair.
The lecture, which took place in a dedicated Majlis venue at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, was also attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and a number of ministers and officials from the UAE’s health sector.
The latest lecture in this year’s Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed Ramadan series welcomed Dr Sinclair, a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, to discuss “Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To”. The talk explored the science of ageing and the tantalising prospect that it can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed.
Dr Sinclair revealed that a growing number of scientists are coming to believe that ageing isn’t inevitable. Rather, it is being viewed as a medical condition that can be treated. He went on to explore the idea that if ageing can be stopped — or reversed — allowing people to live longer, healthier lives, this could have significant social and economic benefits for society.
Dr Sinclair mentioned the role of the UAE and its scientific community in contributing to research that is set to revolutionise biology and our understanding of the ageing process. He also commended the UAE for being a centre for learning and the advancement of technology, referencing the pioneering work of the Emirati Genome Programme which is considered one of the most comprehensive genomic initiatives in the world.
He discussed the work being carried out at his laboratory to identify the causes of ageing, and introduced what he calls the “Information Theory of Ageing”, which proposes that ageing results from the accumulation of errors in an organism’s genetic code over time.
His team’s biggest discovery, he revealed, is the existence of a back-up copy of this lost genetic information, meaning that the reversal of ageing could eventually be comparable to reinstalling software to make an old computer run like new again.
Dr Sinclair suggested that until proven technologies to “treat” ageing become available, our goal as humans should be to prolong our lives by adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating the right foods and taking regular exercise.
In addition to the keynote address by Dr Sinclair, the lecture featured pre-recorded contributions from Dr Noura Al Dhaheri, Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics & Genomics, UAE University; Dr Habiba AlSafar, Director, KU Centre for Biotechnology; and Shaista Asif, Group COO, Pure Health. The lecture was moderated by Dr Mohamed Salem Al Ameri, PhD in Epigenetics for the Diagnosis of Leukaemia in Children.
The lecture will be broadcast on Thursday April 13 at 17:30, on local TV networks and on the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed YouTube channel (youtube.com/ @MajlisMohamedbinZayed).