To maintain organ functions, the proteins in the cells need to be kept in balance (proteostasis). This state is disturbed with increasing age. One possible cause is glycation, in which sugars and proteins combine irreversibly. These advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate and can lead to inflammation and damage. A team of researchers from the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) and the University Hospital Jena (UKJ) has now investigated where AGEs are formed in the cell, what influence they have on proteins, and whether they contribute to aging and age-related metabolic diseases.