Georges Janssens

At a glance

• Researcher at the Laboratory of Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Amsterdam UMC.
• Studies how ageing shows up at the molecular level — in proteins, lipids and energy metabolism — and which interventions slow it, from worms to humans.
• Reported in Nature Aging (2026) that older adults who have trained for years show delayed molecular ageing of muscle, better-preserved energy metabolism and a stronger response to exercise.
• Developed ‘MoveIt! Age’, a scalable estimate of biological age based on daily step counts, validated in the general population.
• Other work looked at blood lipid profiles that mark healthy ageing, and at the link between a vegan diet and epigenetic ageing in a Dutch cohort.
• Relevant because it shows that movement leaves a measurable mark down to the cell, and because it looks for simple measures rather than expensive tests.