Yidong Bai, Ph.D.
University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio | | Genetic and functional analysis of mitochondrial DNA mutations associated with aging.
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
The overall goal of this study is to isolate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations associated with aging, to analyze the accumulation of the mutations during aging and to determine the genetic and functional consequences of the age-dependent mtDNA mutations in mouse. In mammalian cells, over 90% of oxygen is... (more) |
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 | Antonio Bedalov, M.D., Ph.D.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center | | Chemical Genetic Approaches to Aging
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
Chemical genetics relies on using small, cell-permeable molecules that interact with proteins and create a loss or a gain of function of proteins similarly to genetic mutations. The active compounds are obtained by the in vivo screening of libraries of chemicals for the desired cellular phenotype, similarly to finding mutants in traditional genetic screens.... (more) |
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 | Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University | | Restoration of chaperone-mediated autophagy activity in old rodents
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
A common feature of aging is the accumulation of abnormal or damaged proteins inside cells with a consequent negative effect in cell function. Any attempt to remove these abnormal proteins may help in the functional recovery of different organs affected in aged organisms. Damaged or abnormal proteins are continuously removed from... (more) |
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 | Ya Ha, Ph.D.
Yale University School of Medicine | | Structural studies of human y-secretase
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
Human gamma-secretase is a large membrane protein complex catalyzing a novel reaction of intramembrane proteolysis. This activity is important in a number of cellular signaling pathways. There are three known gamma-secretase components, presenilin, nicastrin and beta-catenin. Mutations in presenilin cause familial and early-onset Alzheimer's disease. We propose structural studies of the complex of these protein components aiming at understanding the mechanism of intramembrane proteolysis and the effects of mutations that cause the disease. |
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 | Michael Gordon Kaplitt, M.D., Ph.D.
Weill Medical College of Cornell University | | Effect of PTEN Anti-Oncogene on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
Progressive loss of neurons in the brain is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The only known risk factor for the majority of such patients is aging. Nonetheless, most people do not develop these disorders during aging, so other factors must contribute to or... (more) |
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 | Tae-Wan Kim, Ph.D.
Columbia University | | Genetic Studies of Factors Controlling Amyloid Production
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related dementia and one of the most serious health problems in the U.S. Most cases of early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) are caused by mutations in two related genes, known as presenilin 1 and 2 (PS1 and PS2). Deciphering the pathobiology associated with the presenilins... (more) |
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 | Steven Lyle, M.D., Ph.D.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School | | Molecular and Cell Biology of Adult Epithelial Stem Cells
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
The skin undergoes significant structural and functional changes with aging, secondary to both intrinsic and environmental factors. The epidermis and dermis become thinner, lose their normal rete pattern, exhibit decreased elasticity and show a decreased number of melanocytes. The hair becomes finer and loses pigment. There is also a... (more) |
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 | Giovanni Paternostro, M.D., Ph.D.
Burnham Institute | | Genetic Analysis of Cardiac Aging in Drosophila
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has served as a valuable model-organism for the study of
aging and was the first organism possessing a circulatory system to have its genome completely
sequenced. Little is known, however, about the function of the heart-like organ of flies during... (more) |
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 | Jacob Raber, Ph.D.
Oregon Health & Science University | | Gender and Isoform-Specific Effects of ApoE on Cognition in Humans
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
Our research focuses on the effects of genetic and environmental factors on brain function in
experimental mouse models of human neurological diseases. Routinely, we use a combination of
behavioral, neuroendocrine, and neurochemical approaches. Based on what we learn in the... (more) |
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 | Brad A. Rikke, Ph.D.
University of Colorado - Boulder | | QTLs Specifying the Retardation of Reproductive Senescence by Dietary Restriction
2002 New Scholar Award in Aging
Dietary restriction (DR, also referred to as calorie restriction, food restriction, and energy restriction) is the best-studied method of retarding senescence and mortality in mammals – extending life span by as much as 50% in rodents. Understanding the molecular mechanism by which DR extends life span would thus... (more) |
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