News | Wednesday, 31st January 2024

Healthy ageing lab awarded £400,000 to support living well in older age

Wolfson Foundation grant for new equipment and biomedical imaging laboratory

Healthy ageing research at Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport will be boosted thanks to £400,000 funding from the Wolfson Foundation. 

The grant will support new equipment and a biomedical imaging laboratory – known as the ACTIVE lab – that will enhance the University’s ongoing research into human movement, particularly how it is affected in people with dementia, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. 

It is the first such award Manchester Met has received from the Wolfson Foundation which gives funding to promote excellence in science and medicine, health, education, and the arts and humanities. 

The new laboratory, expected to be completed in July, will help the Institute of Sport (IoS) continue on its mission to tackle the challenges of an ageing population in key areas including: mobility, social connection, dementia, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases as well as chronic fatigue. 

New discoveries in the lab will help shape and inform public policy and health practice in the city-region and nationally. 

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press CBE said: “We’re very grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for this award – the University’s first – which represents an ambitious milestone for Manchester Met as we focus on delivering research with impact as part of our Road to 2030 strategy. 

“We live in an increasingly ageing society and the Institute of Sport is pivotal in helping us to understand how we can live well as we grow older, working alongside partners in the public and health sectors.” 

The specialist imaging equipment will enhance the current MRI scanner at the IoS. The lab will also allow researchers to track changes in blood oxygenation and volume from certain diseases, simulate new environments to study psychological impact in virtual reality, use motion capture to monitor movement, and use respiratory equipment to research fatigue.

The lab will build on the extensive research already taking place in healthy ageing. With staff across disciplines such as exercise science, physiotherapy, biosciences, genetics, psychology and neuroscience, there is already a powerful community of researchers in human movement sciences. 

It is a growing and important area of research – it is anticipated that the number of people in the UK aged 65 or over will increase by 35% from 12.5m in 2020 to 15.9m in 2040, according to the ONS. 

ACTIVE research will address some of the key challenges linked to health and ageing, and will be delivered in partnership with clinicians, patients and the public to ensure that the research is relevant to the world around us. 

Professor Nick Brook, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Manchester Met, added: “As a University, we are incredibly proud of how we support and transform health – using our research to tackle the challenges we face as a society. 

“We have an increasingly ageing population and with that comes many obstacles, but we are focused on overcoming these so people can continue to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. 

“ACTIVE will be working closely with the NHS, local and national government, and policy makers to ensure that the research that takes place there can have a meaningful and direct impact on people’s lives.” 

Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport is a sporting and health hub in the heart of Manchester. It provides support and research for elite sporting organisations and the University’s student athletes. The centre also works with health organisations and communities to support wider healthy living and ageing.  

Learn more about the University’s work to transform and support health. 

Notes for Editors

The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.

Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 12,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.

Twitter: @wolfsonfdn