| Age-related changes in elastic tissues (blood vessels, skin, lungs) lead to deterioration of elastic fibres, increased susceptibility to specific age-related diseases, and impaired repair processes. The objectives of this proposal are to
a) characterize the mechanisms leading to disorganisation of human elastic tissues in ageing,
b) develop strategies which control the elastic fibre neosynthesis and assembly,
c) establish how their degradation might be prevented, using a synergic approach involving human pathologists, animal and cell biologists, geneticists, biochemists and biophysicists. The expected results are the control of elastic fibre assembly and remodelling, to maintain healthy conditions in ageing tissues and to treat many age-related disorders or poor repair processes, through the selective inhibition of elastic fibber degradation and/or activation of key steps in elastic fibber neosynthesis. |