Scientists around the world are trying to solve the “mystery of aging” and understand what “aging” means—biologically, clinically, and socially. In the newly published perspective article “Past, present, and future perspectives on the science of aging” in the Nature Aging journal, more than 50 researchers from various disciplines review the achievements of aging research so far and draw a vision for the future. Among those contributing to the article is Dr. Handan Melike Dönertaş from the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena, Germany. With her research group “AI in Microbiome and Aging Research”, she is providing important impetus for the systems biology of aging.
Jena. Historically, aging played only a minor role in biological research for a long time and was considered a marginal topic. This picture has changed fundamentally in the meantime: Today, the aging process is considered a central risk factor for a variety of diseases – from cardiovascular diseases to cancer, neurodegenerative and other age-related diseases – and is thus increasingly becoming the focus of biomedical research. Because findings from aging research open up new perspectives: They help us not only to better understand the causes of age-related diseases and treat them more effectively but could also contribute to extending healthy life expectancy in the long term. This means that aging research is becoming increasingly important not only scientifically, but also socially, because it shows us possible ways to improve quality of life, independence, and performance in old age.
Aging research in transition
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the journal Nature Aging has published a perspective article that takes a closer look at the development of aging research. In the article “Past, present and future perspectives on the science of aging,” more than 50 leading international researchers from different regions and disciplines who have already published their findings in this journal look back on the progress made in aging research today. One of the contributors is Dr. Handan Melike Dönertaş, head of the “AI in Microbiome and Aging Research” research group at the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena.
The article brings together findings and experiences from five decades of research. Aging is now classified as a central biological process that shapes health, disease risks, and quality of life throughout the entire lifespan. In recent decades, aging research has developed from a predominantly descriptive discipline into an integrative, mechanistic field of research.
Its focus is on the realization that biological and chronological age can differ significantly. People age individually, in complex ways, and at different rates—at the cellular, organic, and systemic levels. With the help of modern, data-driven, and systems biology approaches such as multi-omics analyses, single-cell methods, imaging, and AI-supported modeling—technologies that are also used at the Leibniz Institute on Aging—Fritz-Lipmann-Institute (FLI)—it becomes increasingly possible to capture this complexity and make aging processes measurable. For the first time, this allows the differences in aging between individuals to be precisely mapped.
In this context, it has already been possible to systematically identify key mechanisms of aging, including genomic instability, epigenetic changes, chronic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation, and the loss of cellular resilience. These insights have enabled the transition from individual hypotheses to network, systems biology models and will continue to make a key contribution to further deepening our understanding of complex aging processes in the future.
In the future, robust biomarkers will be crucial for early estimation of the risk of age-related diseases and measurement of individual aging processes. The goal is not to prolong life, but to promote healthy aging through earlier and more accurate diagnoses and better treatment options. This perspective gives aging research a clear direction for the future.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Melike Dönertaş contributed to this perspective article, once again demonstrating the important role of the FLI in the field of aging research,” emphasizes Prof. Dario Riccardo Valenzano, Scientific Director of the FLI. “Her group's systems biology approach is exemplary for research that effectively combines large data sets, biological networks, and functional analyses to holistically understand the dynamics of aging. Furthermore, her contribution shows how researchers from different disciplines around the world are working together to understand aging processes at the molecular level and provide new impulses for translation into medicine.”
What will aging research look like in the future?
Interdisciplinary, forward-looking, and socially responsible. Specifically, this means that modern aging research takes social and ethical issues into account alongside biological and medical aspects. The goal is to conduct studies across populations and develop new interventions in such a way that their benefits are accessible and available in the greatest possible ways. The article in Nature Aging is therefore not only a scientific summary of what aging research was and currently is but also provides a clear strategic orientation on how aging research can be shaped worldwide in the coming years.
Publication
Past, present and future perspectives on the science of aging. Ambrosio F, Artyomov MN, Austad SN, Barzilai N, Belmonte JCI, Belsky DW, Benayoun BA, Brunet A, Dönertaş HM, Dubal DB, Fang EF, Feige JN, Fried LP, Furman D, Gao X, Gladyshev VN, Gorbunova V, Gorospe M, Han JJ, Hansson O, Hara E, Horvath S, Ip NY, Kuchel GA, Kaeberlein M, Lamming DW, Levy BR, Liu GH, Lee J, Moffitt TE, Minamino T, Partridge L, Raina P, Rando TA, Rowe JW, Schwartz M, Scott AJ, Sierra F, Sinclair DA, Teunissen CE, Vellas B, Verdin E, Walker KA, Webb AE, Wyss-Coray T, Xu M, Yu JT, Zhavoronkov A, Aman Y, Kriebs A, Ren Q, Walters H, Thuault S. Nat Aging. 2026, 6(1):6-22. doi: 10.1038/s43587-025-01046-2.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-025-01046-2
Contact
Dr. Kerstin Wagner
Press & Public Relations
Phone: 03641-656378, Email: presse@leibniz-fli.de
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Background
The
Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena is a federal and state government-funded research institute and member of the Leibniz Association (Leibniz-Gemeinschaft). FLI conducts internationally recognized, high-impact research on the biology of aging at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels. Scientists from around 40 countries investigate the mechanisms of aging to uncover its root causes and pave the way for strategies that promote healthy aging. (
www.leibniz-fli.de/)
The
Leibniz Association connects 96 independent research institutions that range in focus from natural, engineering, and environmental sciences to economics, spatial, and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic, and ecological relevance.
They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry, and the general public.
Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,400 people, including 12,170 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2 billion euros. For more information:
www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/.