Stem cells – fountain of youth

In his previous two lecture series, Peter Lansdorp introduced you to some aspects of haematopoiesis and stem cell ageing with an emphasis on telomeres and telomerases. From the other lecturers you also learned about the importance of genetic instability and epigenetics in cellular ageing.

By now you should already have developed a broad picture of these contributors to ageing, and how they intermingle into a complex ageing process. Complex, in the sense that it involves many factors and not a single biological ‘cause-and-consequence’ event. In his lecture series, Gerald de Haan will revisit with you the process of haematopoiesis to present an even wider scope of ageing blood-forming stem cells. He will build on your knowledge of the ageing mechanisms that you have learned earlier in this course. Before the lectures watch this nice cartoon, summarising main properties and functions of stem cells.