The RES-AGE project consortium has secured approximately €3 million in grant funding to advance research on resilience, mental health, and healthy aging. At Åbo Akademi University, the project will focus on inequalities related to language, culture, and regional circumstances, drawing on data from GERDA (Gerontological Regional Database), a long-standing Nordic collaboration examining the living conditions and health of older adults.

Researchers at Åbo Akademi University will also conduct proteomic profiling to map proteins in the body. Combined with long-term lifestyle data, these protein profiles could help identify early biomarkers associated with aging and health, potentially supporting personalized lifestyle choices and healthy aging. The research will be led by Eleanor Coffey’s group at Åbo Akademi University’s joint technology unit and the University of Turku’s Turku Bioscience Centre.

According to Fredrica Nyqvist, Professor of Gerontological Care at Åbo Akademi University and leader of the RES-AGE consortium, the project places strong emphasis on prevention and behavior-focused lifestyle interventions. Its goal is to support more equitable mental health outcomes, delay the need for care, and develop cost-effective approaches to healthy aging.

RES-AGE will integrate register data, intervention studies, cohort data, interviews, and biomarker analyses, supported by advanced statistical and qualitative methods. The researchers will also assess the costs associated with care consumption to better understand the economic impact of different approaches.

The multidisciplinary consortium includes researchers from health sciences, social policy, neuroscience, psychology, and economics at Åbo Akademi University, bringing together different perspectives on resilience, mental health, and aging. Tampere University, the University of Eastern Finland, and the University of Jyväskylä are also participating, while the Age Institute will oversee project implementation and societal impact. The project is scheduled to begin in October and continue through 2032.

Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260916/RES-AGE-project-explores-cost-effective-ways-to-strengthen-older-adults-wellbeing.aspx