High-throughput and longitudinal analysis of aging and senescent decline in Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is becoming a multipurpose tool for genetic and chemical compound screening approaches aiming to identify and target the molecular mechanisms underlying senescent decline, aging, and associated pathologies. In this chapter, we describe specialized methods that have been developed to facilitate such screening strategies using C. elegans. The first section provides detailed procedures for the assessment of lifespan parameters on liquid growth media that are typically used for rearing nematodes. In the second section, we consider methodologies optimized for high-throughput survival analysis, applicable to large-scale chemical compound or genetic screening ventures. Finally, we discuss recently developed microfluidics tools for the noninvasive monitoring of behavioral and physiological traits in longitudinal studies of aging and senescent decline.