Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Maria Kyriazi explores how autophagy and cellular ageing drive osteoarthritis, and what this means for healthy longevity.
At the Longevity Forum Science Summit, Maria Kyriazi, a Melon Scholar and PhD researcher at the University of Oxford, delivers a compelling overview of why osteoarthritis is one of the most urgent and overlooked age-related diseases. As lifespans increase without matched healthspans, millions face decades of pain, reduced mobility, and disability—making understanding osteoarthritis biology essential for healthy ageing.
Maria explains the complex changes in ageing joints, from cartilage degradation and inflammation to synovial expansion and osteophyte formation, and presents mouse models used to study naturally occurring and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Her research highlights two key ageing mechanisms—autophagy decline and cellular senescence—and how their interplay drives joint deterioration.
She also shares updates from experiments aboard the International Space Station, investigating how spaceflight accelerates ageing pathways, and highlights the ultimate goal of her work: identifying therapeutic strategies to protect and rejuvenate joint cells, improving quality of life for the one in three older adults affected by osteoarthritis.
Maria Kyriazi explores how autophagy and cellular ageing drive osteoarthritis, and what this means for healthy longevity.
At the Longevity Forum Science Summit, Maria Kyriazi, a Melon Scholar and PhD researcher at the University of Oxford, delivers a compelling overview of why osteoarthritis is one of the most urgent and overlooked age-related diseases. As lifespans increase without matched healthspans, millions face decades of pain, reduced mobility, and disability—making understanding osteoarthritis biology essential for healthy ageing.
Maria explains the complex changes in ageing joints, from cartilage degradation and inflammation to synovial expansion and osteophyte formation, and presents mouse models used to study naturally occurring and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Her research highlights two key ageing mechanisms—autophagy decline and cellular senescence—and how their interplay drives joint deterioration.
She also shares updates from experiments aboard the International Space Station, investigating how spaceflight accelerates ageing pathways, and highlights the ultimate goal of her work: identifying therapeutic strategies to protect and rejuvenate joint cells, improving quality of life for the one in three older adults affected by osteoarthritis.
