On June 1, the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) hosted the conference 'Gender Perspective in Data Research: Applications in Aging Research', focused on the need to incorporate a gender perspective into the management and analysis of health data. Throughout the morning, experiences and discussion forums with experts in the field were presented to promote more inclusive research aligned with European standards and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event was jointly organized with AQuAS, the Hipàtia Community of Practice, the NeuroAge Network, the Sant Pau Research Institute, and the Women’s Health Innovation Network (XWHIN).

The conference was opened by Sara Mas, head of the VHIR Impact and RRI Office, and Maite Solans, researcher at AQuAS, who highlighted the importance of this workshop session in fostering inclusive, high-quality research that takes both gender and sex perspectives into account.

Simona Giardina, member of BioInfo4Women and Life Sciences Scientific Coordination Officer for Data Management at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), opened the scientific session with a presentation focused on integrating sex and gender perspectives into research. She emphasized that failing to consider these dimensions contributes to perpetuating biases already present in both society and data, affecting groups such as women and older adults. In this regard, she stressed the need to incorporate sex and gender as scientific variables throughout the entire research process, from hypothesis formulation to the interpretation and dissemination of results. She also underlined that this integration improves the quality and methodological rigor of science and, consequently, the quality of research and its transfer to society.

During her presentation, Giardina explained how biases can be introduced at different stages of the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems in healthcare. She also presented examples of biases found in human genomics databases and in the design of preclinical studies, as well as tools and practical questions for assessing the proper integration of sex and gender variables in experimental design and data analysis, together with different fairness metrics applicable depending on the context.

The conference then showcased projects illustrating the application of a gender perspective in aging research. First, Maria Sopena, a predoctoral researcher at the BSC’s Transcriptomics and Functional Genomics Laboratory, presented the project in which she participates on immune aging and sex differences.

Sopena highlighted the importance of understanding the mechanisms of aging in order to improve the quality of life of older adults. In this context, she explained the key role of the immune system in aging (immunosenescence), characterized by changes in cellular composition and a functional decline of immune cells. This results in a less efficient response to infections and increased inflammation and susceptibility to various diseases.

In her talk, she explained that the immune system differs according to biological sex: women exhibit more robust immune responses, with better protection against infections but a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases, whereas men show greater susceptibility to infections and a higher risk of certain types of cancer. To study these differences in the context of aging, she described a project based on the analysis of immune cells from more than 1,000 donors. The results revealed differences between men and women in cellular subpopulations and gene expression, with molecular changes associated with differential risks of developing certain diseases, such as specific cancers or autoimmune disorders.

Natalia Vilor-Tejedor, associate professor and group leader of the Molecular Epidemiology and Data Science Group at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) of Utrecht University and researcher at the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), focused her presentation on projects addressing neurodegeneration and aging through data and a gender perspective. For example, she presented differences in vulnerability to environmental pollution between men and women based on data from the Alfa study, a cohort of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation that includes relatives of people with dementia. She explained that associations were found between certain biomarkers related to pollution and neuroinflammation, as well as cognitive changes that were observable in women but not in men.

She also described how genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease interacts with sex and influences cognitive changes.

Finally, she highlighted the importance of distinguishing between chronological age and biological age, the latter being estimable through various biomarkers such as epigenetic patterns, gene expression, proteins in blood or tissues, magnetic resonance imaging, telomere length, or other physiological indicators. She concluded that biological aging processes affect men and women differently and emphasized the need for a holistic approach to medicine that incorporates diversity as an essential element.

The session concluded with an open discussion involving the three speakers, reflecting on the historical reasons behind the lack of integration of sex and gender perspectives in research, as well as the main current barriers and possible strategies for effectively incorporating them into scientific projects. During the discussion, it was emphasized that taking this perspective into account not only improves research in terms of rigor and quality, but also contributes to improving the health of the entire population, beyond the group of women.