LEHA

We study populations of different ages (elderly, middle-aged, young) in prospective designs allowing for the study of slow long-term processes, using early biomarkers (in particular eye and brain imaging) allowing for the early detection of health related effects of exposures.

As age-related diseases share common mechanisms and consequences and interact with each other, aging is considered as a global state promoting the occurrence of diseases. Models of aging are mainly neurological diseases (cognitive decline and dementia/ Alzheimer’s) and eye diseases (mainly age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma), but also extend to other health endpoints, such as diabetes, kidney disease or physical performance.

Our research is based on population-based cohorts that we have been conducting in elderly populations for more than 30 years: the PAQUID cohort (n=3777, followed since 1988) and the 3C Study (n=9294 including 2104 in Bordeaux, followed since 1999), and its ancillary ophthalmological study in Bordeaux Alienor (n=963, followed since 2006).

We also participate in population-based cohort studies (i-Share, 20,000 students, PI C. Tzourio), Constances (220,000 adults aged 18-69 years, followed since 2012, PI M. Zins, Inserm U1018, Villejuif) and B cube (planned 2000 aged 55-80 years in Bordeaux, PI C Samieri), in particular by generating cutting edge ophthalmological phenotypic information and several ranges of biomarkers. Finally, we collaborate with European and American cohorts, individually or within collaborative projects.

Overall, these studies collect information on many aspects of aging (functions, chronic and degenerative diseases, disability) and their determinants (clinical factors, nutrition, environmental exposures, genetics), which allow a very comprehensive study of the epidemiology of health and aging in older adults, but also offer a scope for a broader lifelong approach, thanks to the epidemiological and clinical studies conducted in younger individuals.

Our research activity is divided in 3 axes:

• Burden of age-related and chronic disorders, which aims at documenting the frequency of age-related and chronic diseases and characterize their burden, in terms of loss of autonomy, impaired quality of life, as well as medical and non-medical costs.
• Mechanisms and processes of age-related diseases, which aims at finely characterizing aging processes, by collecting detailed clinical, imaging and functional data over long periods of time, with major interest in degenerative and vascular processes as well as inflammatory mechanisms.
• Determinants of healthy aging, which focuses mainly on the role of nutrition and lifestyle, as well as environmental exposures (sunlight exposure, air pollution…). With regard to nutrition, our approach combines interest in specific dietary intakes and patterns with the use of innovative measurements (lipidomics, metabolomics, gut microbiota…).