 | Monica Driscoll, Ph.D.
Rutgers University | | Genetic Analyses of Extended Healthspan in C. elegans
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Addressing the health problems of the aged by exploiting experimentally manipulable animal models
The rapidly growing elderly population inevitably confronts an increased risk for several debilitating diseases, cognitive decline, and virtually certain loss in muscle strength over time--all of which add up to serious health... (more) |
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 | Caleb E. Finch, Ph.D.
University of Southern California | | ApoE Isoforms in the Evolution of Human Diet and Longevity from Chimpanzee-like Ancestors
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a cholesterol-carrier in the blood with genetic variants that influence the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular disease. During human evolution, the apoE gene has changed importantly from the gene shared by human-chimpanzee ancestors 5 million years ago. The "bad apoE4" gene... (more) |
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 | Alfred L. Goldberg, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School | | Regulation of Protein Degradation by the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway in Aging
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
The goal of these studies is to clarify the molecular mechanisms for two prominent features of aged organisms: 1) the accumulation of abnormal proteins in cells, and 2) the marked, debilitating loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia). To understand these phenomena, we shall build upon recent advances in knowledge about the... (more) |
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 | Robert D. Goldman, Ph.D.
Northwestern University | | Nuclear Lamin A Mutations in Progeria
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
It has been thought for over 100 years that an understanding of the cause of an early onset premature aging disease called Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), would provide insights into normal human aging. Progeria is an extremely rare disease that was recently found to be caused by several different mutations in the gene of a nuclear protein called... (more) |
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 | Harry B. Gray, Ph.D.
California Institute of Technology | | Misfolding and Aggregation of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Polypeptides
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Approximately 10% of individuals over age 65, and nearly half of those over age 85, suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Parkinson’s afflicts 1% of people over age 60 and the risk of contracting the disease increases with age. Currently, approximately 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and more than 1 million suffer from... (more) |
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 | H. Robert Horvitz, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | | Genetic Control of Aging in C. elegans
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has proven to be an excellent organism for genetic studies of longevity, and many genes known to affect lifespan have been identified and characterized in this organism. Nonetheless, much remains to be discovered about the genetic, molecular and cellular bases of aging and longevity. Most studies of C.... (more) |
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 | Estela Medrano, Ph.D.
Baylor College of Medicine | | Epigentic Control of Senescence and Aging
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Epigenetics entails the study of the switching on and off of genes during development, cell proliferation and also by environmental insults. Epigenetic changes can result in the stable inheritance of a given spectrum of gene activities in specific cells. Genome modifications resulting from epigenetic changes appear to play a critical role in the... (more) |
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 | Thomas A. Rando, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University | | Mechanisms of Rejuvenation of Tissue-specific Stem Cells
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
One of the fundamental aspects of aging that is universal among vertebrates is a change in tissue structure with age. This is evident at the macroscopic and microscopic levels, and is almost invariably accompanied by a decline in the normal functioning of tissues and their ability to respond to injury. It is becoming clear that resident,... (more) |
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 | Heidi Scrable, Ph.D.
University of Virginia | | Genetic Models to Chart the Course of Aging in the Mouse
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Aging is accompanied and perhaps even defined by a gradual loss in the ability of the organism to respond successfully to fluctuations in the environment and maintain homeostasis. We have discovered that altered activity of the tumor suppressor p53 accelerates this process in the mouse. The function of p53 in normal animals is to control... (more) |
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 | Marc Tatar, Ph.D.
Brown University | | Metabolomic Analysis of Drosophila Aging by Stable Isotope Spectrometry
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
From invertebrates to mammals, diet restriction can extend lifespan and slow symptoms of aging. How diet restriction affects senescence, however, remains a mystery that is at the heart of much current molecular and genetic research. One attractive explanation holds that when animals are diet-restricted they allocate available... (more) |
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 | Alexander Varshavsky, Ph.D.
California Institute of Technology | | Lifespan Extension: Overexpression Strategies in the Mouse and Yeast
2004 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
The work by my laboratory at the California Institute of Technology is about understanding bits and pieces of the following large problem: how and why cells destroy their own proteins? A related problem is to understand the consequences of having protein destruction machines in every cell of the body for the emergence of... (more) |
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