Singapore - A new Israel-Australia research centre involving a major collaboration with Monash University will be officially launched in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Sagol Center for Epigenetics of Metabolism and Aging cements the relationship between Monash University and the Tel Aviv Medical Center, Israel's largest health institution, where the centre will be based. The initiative was made possible by the generosity of the Sagol family in Israel and is the vision of philanthropist Sami Sagol.

It is part of a collaboration that began last year, and will embed scientists from Monash's Department of Diabetes, while Israeli scientists will be trained at Monash. 

Paul Zimmet AO, Professor of Diabetes at Monash, will become the centre's Co-director (honorary) with Professor Naftali Stern, Director of the Institute of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Hypertension at Tel Aviv Medical Center.

Epigenetics, a burgeoning new field, refers to changes in the genetic material surrounding genes that are induced by the environment.

Professor Zimmet, an international leader in diabetes research, believes some of these translate into adult disorders such as ageing, obesity and type 2 diabetes and may be passed down between generations or acquired during a lifetime.

The centre will aim to reveal epigenetic changes in body organs that contribute to ageing and disease, attempt to discover which changes are experimentally reversible then strive to develop practical therapies to reverse such changes to delay ageing and diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

It is part of a network of research centres established in academic and medical centres by the Sagol family, focusing on the advancement of research on longevity and quality of life.