The Aging Intervention and Phenotyping Facility provides services from two sites: UMCG in Groningen and Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. 

We offer complete phenotyping for age-related diseases. At our UMCG location the focus lies on detailed phenotyping services on aging and age-related metabolic diseases. The Erasmus MC location provides unique complimentary services including a large collection of accelerated aging mouse models and tailor-made intervention studies.  

The facility provides a combination of behavioral, physical and metabolic tests to study the mechanism of ageing and (age-related) diseases, and offers studies in mouse models for accelerated aging both systemic and tissue-specific, generated and validated in-house.

Our goal is to provide novel intervention strategies that combat age-related disease on the unique aging and senescence models available in a well-controlled setting with our expertise and infrastructure for tailored and in-depth phenotypic analysis of mouse models of (accelerated) aging. We also intend to capture and share mouse data generated within the facilities to make these available to the larger research community, thereby limiting unnecessary repetition of animal experiments. 

The services we provide are standardized nutritional and pharmacological experiments that combat age-related disease on unique models available, in a controlled setting to maximize output and minimize animal use. We offer a broad range of experimental set-ups, e.g., for neurological and cardiovascular diseases, both important when we consider the growing aging population.

Our current phenotyping pipeline includes behavior/cognition testing, body composition analysis, metabolic and physical parameters as well as frailty parameters. At the UMCG we offer unique Metabolic Flux Analysis using stable isotopes (i.e., determination of rate of metabolic reactions). At the Erasmus MC facility, we implement the extensive expertise and sophisticated infrastructure for detailed neurological analysis (e.g., the Erasmus Ladder which scores detailed motor performance, learning and memory), and investigation of the cardiological, vascular, skeletal, hematopoietic and hormonal systems in the aging mouse models.