Can physics unlock the secrets of longevity?
Published: 20 Mar 2025
Organisers of the Global Conference on Gerophysics. (From left to right: Prof Brian Kennedy, Dr Maximilian Unfried, Prof Jan Gruber)
The inaugural Global Conference on Gerophysics (GCGP) took place successfully from 5-6 March 2025, marking a groundbreaking amalgamation of two distinct disciplines of theoretical physics and ageing biology. Organised by the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme (HLTRP) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), this event provided a unique platform for leading experts in both fields to explore this unique interplay of disciplines.
The discussion explored various toolkits used in theoretical physics that can be applied to understand the ageing process. The conference also focused on identifying parallels and common frameworks between physics and ageing science to develop a unified approach to studying ageing.
Distinguished Professor Brian Kennedy, Director of HLTRP, highlighted in his opening speech the dramatic evolution of ageing science over the last 30 years, noting that the field now benefits from significantly more omics data and improved modeling capabilities to better understand the biology of ageing. He expressed hope that the conference would help define the emerging field of gerophysics, chart its future trajectory, and identify opportunities for collaboration to drive the field forward.
Prof Brian Kennedy delivering his opening speech on the first day of the conference
A central theme emerging from the discussions was the growing recognition that ageing is a dynamic and multi-layered process, and the talks revolved around fundamental ageing mechanisms, predictive modelling and intervention strategies. The conference highlighted the following key areas:
Ageing as a Thermodynamic and Stochastic Process – Professor Jan Gruber and Dr Peter Fedichev expounded on this, arguing that perplexing ageing data can be reconciled through a theoretical framework integrating thermodynamics, information theory and stochastic processes.
Predictive models and ageing biomarkers – Several talks focused on developing models to quantify biological ageing and understand cellular dynamics. Professor Andrew Rutenberg demonstrated how biomarkers of ageing behave as a stable yet drifting variables, identifying eigenmodes of ageing that influence mortality risk. In his talk, Dr Kumar Selvarajoo highlighted the challenges of predicting complex ageing dynamics using multi-omics datasets. These underscored the potential for statistical physics and machine learning to refine ageing clocks and intervention strategies.
Physics-guided approaches to cellular and epigenetic ageing – Various talks explored how principles from statistical mechanics and network theory apply to cellular and molecular ageing. Professor Steffen Rulands described epigenetic ageing as a phase-separation process, where genome-wide changes balance deterministic and stochastic components. Professor Ee Hou Yong applied complex network theory to ageing and repair, proposing that network resilience may govern biological robustness.
Prof Uri Alon of Weizmann Institute of Science on “Ageing – inside complexity there is simplicity”
The conference also featured an interactive panel discussion on the “Future of Gerophysics” moderated by Dr Sebastien Thuault, Chief Editor at Nature Aging. The distinguished panelists include Professor Uri Alon, Dr Peter Fedichev, Professor Jan Gruber and Professor Marija Cvijovic. The discussion focused on the limitations of current data and toolkits in accurately modeling biology of ageing, and if there is a need for newer tools that can better capture the complexities of ageing process. The panellists also discussed the challenges of integrating multi-omics data, dealing with stochastic nature of biological systems and distilling large datasets into comprehensible, actionable insights. The panellists agreed that the future of gerophysics lies in combining the strengths of computational physics, machine learning and biology to develop more predictive and holistic frameworks for understanding ageing.
Panel discussion on “The Future of Gerophysics”. (From left to right: Dr Sebastien Thuault, Prof Uri Alon, Dr Peter Fedichev, Prof Jan Gruber and Prof Marija Cvijovic)
In addition to the panel discussion, the conference featured a dynamic poster session, providing researchers an opportunity to present their groundbreaking work in the field of gerophysics and ageing science.
Best Poster Award (From left to right: Dr Maximilian Unfried, Prof Brian Kennedy, Han Dong, Evgeneniy Efimov, Prof Jan Gruber, Trina Tan, Shivaanisha Raventhiran
The conference concluded with a speech from the GCGP organisers, Dr Maximilian Unfried, Professor Jan Gruber and Professor Brian Kennedy, who reflected on the resounding success of the event and the exciting prospects for gerophysics.
