Biological ageing is the predominant risk factor for many diseases. The underlying molecular causes of this increased risk are not well understood. Ageing is also associated with complex changes in iron homeostasis, with a mix of systemic iron deficiency occurring concurrently with tissue and cell specific iron accumulation and pathologies. To understand the biochemical and molecular basis for this age-dependent loss of iron balance my laboratory employs a combined approach. We use the genetics of the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, with biochemical and analytical techniques to try and understand the uptake and flux of iron throughout lifetime. This strategy has resulted in productive collaboration across disciplines including, protein structure/function, synchrotron-based imaging, generation of transgenics models, aspects of neuroscience, as well as elemental analyses of native protein-metal complexes. Our overall aim is to improve understanding of the biology of ageing and it effects on disease mechanisms, to identify strategies to improve late-life health