image: This is the cover for 'Human Aging A Unique Experience -- Implications for the Disease Concept.' view more
Credit: World Scientific, 2015
As an entry point, the biology of ageing can be viewed through the lens of the premature ageing disorder Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. This lens reveals a web of interconnected biological domains involving lamins, telomeres, alternative splicing, genetics, epigenetics and molecular clocks.
However, this biological web has to be understood within the context of culture which represents an inheritance system that intertwines with genetic inheritance. In fact, gene-culture co-evolution is the principal force driving human evolution.
Although the human species has a characteristic developmental ageing program distinct from other species, at the level of the individual the ageing phenotype is quite plastic. Each individual is unique by virtue of their specific mix of genomic variants, epigenetic marks and personal experiences. The result is that each individual has a unique ageing phenotype.
The construct that the ageing trajectory is different for each individual has profound implications for the concept of personalized medicine and how we understand the whole nature of non-infectious diseases. These implications are discussed in World Scientific's newly published book "Human Ageing A Unique Experience - Implications for the disease concept".
Since the biology of ageing and the biology of the living state are inseparable, ageing cannot be eliminated or "cured". However, given that the ageing phenotype is plastic at the level of the individual, ageing can be successfully managed by taking advantage of this plasticity.
Find out more with "Human Ageing A Unique Experience - Implications for the disease concept".
The book retails for US$110 / £73 (hardcover) at major bookstores. More information on the book can be found at http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9276.
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About World Scientific Publishing
World Scientific Publishing is a leading independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research and professional communities. The company publishes about 500 books annually and more than 120 journals in various fields. World Scientific collaborates with prestigious organisations like the Nobel Foundation, US National Academies Press, as well as its subsidiary, the Imperial College Press, amongst others, to bring high quality academic and professional content to researchers and academics worldwide. To find out more about World Scientific, please visit http://www.worldscientific.com.
About Imperial College Press
Imperial College Press was formed in 1995 as a partnership between Imperial College London and World Scientific Publishing. As such, the Press benefits from both the expertise of one of the world's leading academic institutions and the experience of a well established and globally recognised Science, Technical and Medical publishing house. A modern success story, the venture has brought fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the world of academic publishing, with recent triumphs including Let There be Light (Montwill & Breslin), Classical Mechanics 5th ed (Kibble & Berkshire); The Physics of Solar Cells (Nelson); Science Research Writing (Glasman-Deal) and Physical Biology (Zewail) written by eminent scientist Ahmed Zewail, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999.
For more information on the title, contact Jason CJ, Assistant Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, at cjlim@wspc.com.sg