Investigating the ageing-Parkinson’s disease nexus: standardisation of in vitro models and techniques by the PD-AGE network

Ageing is the primary risk factor for Parkinson’s disease, yet the intricate interplay between these processes remains ambiguous. This position paper, a collaborative output from the PD-AGE consortium, addresses the urgent need for standardising methods in in vitro modelling. A panel of international experts recommends human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models, with chemically induced ageing methods, such as the SLO cocktail, as a robust system. Furthermore, the consortium highlights the value of direct and semi-direct reprogramming for retaining donor-specific ageing phenotypes. The paper also outlines a prioritised panel of measurable parameters, categorised into senescence, inflammaging, omics profiling, and mitochondrial dysfunction, providing a consistent framework to enhance research reproducibility, investigating the nexus of ageing and Parkinson’s. In addition, we provide links to SOPs (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15056603) [1] to measure the key measurable ageing parameters outlined in this review to facilitate consistency and reproducibility within the field.