OBJECTIVE 1:

Acquire and establish a microfluidics-coupled state-of-the-art super-resolution microscopy platform for high-throughput manipulation and imaging of specific neurons, in vivo.

OBJECTIVE 2:

Monitor neuronal mitochondria fate during ageing, in wild type animals, long-lived mutants and animals under caloric restriction, a condition known to extend lifespan

OBJECTIVE 3:

Assess the contribution of mitophagy in long-term neuron survival. Interrogate how ageing modulates mitophagy to inflict neuronal damage in nematode models of human neurodegenerative disorders.

OBJECTIVE 4:

Genetic and chemical compound screens for modifiers of mitophagic activity in neurons. Identification and characterization of genes and molecular pathways that control neuronal mitophagy during ageing.