World-renowned Scientists Discuss Whether Scientific Innovation Can Turn Old Age into a New Age
CHERTSEY, England, December 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Lord Robert Winston chaired
THE ASTELLAS INNOVATION DEBATE 2013
The Age Crunch - facts, fears and the future
Royal Institution of Great Britain, held on Tuesday 19th November 2013
Watch the debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1abC4o5s3I
Scientist, medical doctor, broadcaster and politician Lord Robert Winston chaired a panel of internationally recognised experts for the 2nd Astellas Innovation Debate: The Age Crunch - facts, fears and the future, which took place on 19th November at the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Panellists included Nobel prize-winning biologist Dr. Blackburn; broadcaster and journalist Baroness Joan Bakewell; campaigner and politician Baroness Sally Greengross; Professor John Appleby, Chief Economist at the King's Fund; Professor Tom Kirkwood, Dean for Ageing at the University of Newcastle and Professor Tim Eisen, Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Cambridge.
Watch the video of Lord Robert Winston and the international panel of experts as they explore the role of innovation as society faces critical challenges resulting from an ageing population - an issue of decisive and urgent importance.
The central issues discussed were:
- How we can best support older people in the UK and Europe?
- How can we rethink our approach to welfare and healthcare to tackle the major age-associated diseases?
- How will an ageing society be funded, and whose responsibility should it be?
- How can innovation help society to value older people and support them to make an active contribution?
Lord Robert Winston, Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College London, commented:
"Over the last 150 years, improved standards of living and advances in medical science have doubled our life expectancy. Today, with people in affluent countries expecting to live well into their 80s, life expectancy is increasing by more than five hours a day for every day we live. This is a remarkable achievement and should be cause for celebration. But our older populations have health and welfare needs, and these needs are likely to grow. At the Astellas Innovation Debate 2013, we will explore how we might rethink our approach to welfare and healthcare, and we will ask what role scientific ingenuity can play in an ageing society, turning old age into a new age."
The aim of the Astellas Innovation Debate 2013 was to explore, through thought-provoking discussion, how we can drive economic and social transformation by celebrating the over-65s - as workers, volunteers and carers, consumers and investors.
For further information, visit our website http://www.innovationdebate.com, or join the debate on Twitter @innovatedebate #AgeCrunch
Notes to editors
The Astellas Innovation Debate was chaired by Lord Robert Winston, Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College London.
Panelists included:
Professor John Appleby - Chief Economist at the King's Fund since 1998 and a visiting professor at the Department of Economics at City University, London
Dr Elizabeth Blackburn - Morris Herzstein Professor in Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 and a leader in the area of telomere and telomerase research.
Baroness Joan Bakewell - Broadcaster and journalist Joan Bakewell presents Radio 3's Belief and Radio 4's Inside the Ethics Committee. She was the government appointed 'Voice of Older People' between 2008 and 2010 and in November 2010 she was made a working peer in the House of Lords.
Baroness Sally Greengross - A crossbench (independent) member of the House of Lords since 2000 and chair of five All-Party Parliamentary Groups, Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre (ILC) - UK; Co-President of the ILC Global Alliance.
Professor Tom Kirkwood - Dean for Ageing & Director of Newcastle Initiative on Changing Age (NICA) at the University of Newcastle.
Professor Tim Eisen - Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Cancer Trials Centre.
About The Astellas Innovation Debate
The Astellas Innovation Debate, organised and funded by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., explores the role of innovation in modern society.
This year's event, The Age Crunch: Facts fears and the future, held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain on 19th November 2013, brought together influential and respected figures from the worlds of science, government, medicine, economics, industry and the media to tackle the major issues surrounding scientific innovation today and tomorrow. The aim of The Innovation Debate is to air crucial issues, draw positive conclusions and to move the agenda forward.
Everyone - professionals in science, medicine and industry, and the general public - had the opportunity to engage with The Astellas Innovation Debate through online media which took discussions far beyond the walls of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
The inaugural Innovation Debate at The Royal Society in London in November 2012, focused on innovation in a time of austerity and nurturing the innovators of the future. Under the chairmanship of Professor Jim Al-Khalili it brought together panellists such as Nobel laureate Professor Sir Andre Geim, physicist Professor Brian Cox and Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in Economics at the University of Sussex.
About Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.
Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., located in the UK, is the European headquarters of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. The organisation's focus is to deliver outstanding R&D and marketing to continue growing in the world pharmaceutical market. Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. is responsible for 21 affiliate offices located across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, an R&D site and three manufacturing plants. The company employs approximately 4,350 staff across these regions. For more information about Astellas Pharma Europe, please visit http://www.astellas.eu.
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