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Opinion: Elizabeth Mills

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Spring 2010

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Chair of the UK Age Research Forum, Elizabeth Mills OBE, gives a personal perspective on attitudes to ageing and how to ensure we get the most out of research for the public good.

The academic study of ageing should be of passionate interest to all who are alive today. Old age is the main risk factor for many chronic illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal conditions - as well as for poverty, social exclusion and depression.

Research into the basic biology of ageing has the potential to make a major impact on the quality of older people's lives. This fundamental knowledge alters our world view and it does so for the public good: if age associated disability and morbidity are viewed as inevitable then nothing will be done to tackle them. The ageing process in its current form is seen as something we have to live with - the BBSRC science portfolio says it isn't and that effective treatments are coming out of basic biology now for the 50-80% of us who will age badly.

Understanding how creatures age alters our vision of what is possible. Simply knowing that it is possible to add up to 40% to the lifespan of a mammal by ensuring that the animal is a healthier creature throughout its life should change the horizons of actuaries and policymakers working on morbidity data for pensions and insurance.

Building partnerships

The UK Age Research Forum is the umbrella organisation of funders of ageing research, supporting collaborations between its members. An excellent example of collaboration is the joint BBSRC/Research into Ageing initiative on the ageing bladder and bowel, exemplifying excellent science with the potential to improve lives.

A 2006 study of public attitudes to BBSRC - and MRC-funded research on ageing* showed that the public supports ageing research and places particular importance on 'preventative research' into age related conditions. The public recognises that we are all living longer and ageing research must be focused on ensuring that those extra years are of high quality. This is a challenge for all the scientific disciplines, working together, in a focused way. Psycho-social, clinical, basic biology, engineering, design and the built environment research all have a role to play in achieving this objective. And focused cross-disciplinarity is the model that would work best, rather than the currently fashionable 'all in a circle' model.

The British Council on Ageing, which includes membership from all the relevant disciplines, working with funders via the UK Age Research Forum, can break down the interdisciplinary and cultural barriers with which the whole
field is riven.

Thinking long-term

For many years I have been personally committed to building up the age research community, by helping scientists to communicate with the public and with one another, and encouraging funders to put ageing at the top of their priorities. But the amount of funding for ageing research still falls well short of what is needed to ensure long term effectiveness. The UK age research communities need access to well-funded programmes of research supported by focussed, long-term bilateral initiatives.

Profile

Elizabeth Mills was recently appointed Chair of the Steering Group of the UK Age Research Forum.

Prior to this, she was Chief Executive of the charity Research into Ageing (1990-2001) and led its merger with Help the Aged. She chaired the Advisory Committee for the Research Councils' SPARC (Strategic Promotion of Ageing Research) initiative. She received the Lord Cohen of Birkenhead Medal for Ageing Research in 2000, and was awarded the OBE for services to Ageing Research in 2002.

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