 | Frederick W. Alt, Ph.D
Center for Blood Research, Boston | | The Biology of Mammalian Sir2 Homologs and their Role in Lifespan Determination
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Aging occurs in almost all organisms, yet the molecular basis of aging is poorly understood. In addition, many diseases, including cancers, occur much more frequently in aged populations. Therefore, an understanding of the molecular and cellular events that accompany aging would undoubtedly contribute immensely to human... (more) |
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 | Spyridon Artavanis-Tsakonas, Ph.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center | | A Novel Class of Aging Genes in Drosophila melanogaster
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
The aging of an organism is determined by its genetic background and is influenced by environmental inputs. Genetically, aging is considered to be a polygenic process; however, studies in model systems revealed mutations in single loci that extend life span. The best established epigenetic intervention that prolongs life is caloric restriction... (more) |
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 | Andrzej Bartke, Ph.D.
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine | | Early Hormonal Signaling and Longevity: Role of Long-term Alterations in Glucose Homeostasis
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
We are studying effects of genes and hormones on aging. We have shown that mutant mice with inherited deficiency of several pituitary hormones live much longer than their normal siblings. These mutants, the Ames dwarf mice, maintain their health, learning abilities, and memory until late in life, are less... (more) |
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 | Ronald A. DePinho, M.D.
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School | | The Genetic Role of Telomere Dynamics and DNA Damage Response in Stem Cell Depletion, Organ Homeostasis and Aging
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Telomeres are specialized capping structures on chromosomes that play important roles in aging, cancer and genome stability. Normal cells do not possess the specialized enzyme telomerase that functions to synthesize and maintain telomere length with each cell division. Thus, cell... (more) |
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 | Susan L. Lindquist, Ph.D.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research | | Investigating the Potential Involvement of Cellular Quality Control Mechanisms and the Mammalian Prion, PrP, in Neurodegenerative Diseases
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Aging is invariably associated with reduced neurological function. Moreover, the incidence of acute neurodegenerative disease strongly increases with age. As the average lifespan lengthens due to improvements in medicine and public health, the incidence of... (more) |
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 | Olivia M. Pereira-Smith, Ph.D.
University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio | | The Role of the MORF/MRG Family of Novel Transcription Factors in In Vitro and In Vivo Aging
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Normal cells grown in culture have a limited potential to divide and eventually become terminally non-dividing. This is called cell or replicative senescence and is used as a model to study aging at the cell level. Tumor-derived cells, in contrast, divide constantly without control. We have found that tumor... (more) |
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 | Fred E. Regnier, Ph.D, co-PI
Purdue University |
 | Arlan G. Richardson, Ph.D, co-PI
University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio | | A Novel Proteomic Approach to Identifying, Sequencing, and Quantifying Oxidatively Damaged Proteins in Tissues of Aged Animals
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
One of the most widely accepted theories in aging research is the free radical or oxidative stress theory of aging, which states that a steady-state accumulation of oxidative damage in cells and tissues leads to aging. Over the past two decades, it has been shown that... (more) |
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Jeff W. Lichtman, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvard University |
Joshua R. Sanes, Ph.D
Harvard University | | Time Lapse Imaging of Neurons as They Age
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
That the adult nervous system changes with age is beyond dispute: cognitive abilities deteriorate, reflexes worsen, and the incidence of neurodegenerative disease skyrockets. Yet, despite major advances in our understanding of the etiology of neurodegenerative disease, the neural underpinnings of normal aging remain a complete mystery. Without such... (more)(The first year of this research was conducted at Washington University.) |
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 | James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | | Identification of Chemical “Age Spots” on Immortal DNA Strands in Adult Stem Cells
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
Modern societies are the beneficiaries of a previous century of extraordinary acceleration of advances in science and medicine. Yet, there is still a significant burden of disease and illness. One reason for the persistence of sickness and poor health is that, despite extensive knowledge of human biology and... (more) |
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 | Eric Verdin, M.D.
J. David Gladstone Institutes | | Role of a SIRT3, a Sir2-related Mitochondrial Protein Deacetylase, in Aging
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
The aging process is increasingly considered to be a programmed event regulated by individual gene products, like other developmental processes. One major implication of this working model is that several diseases associated with aging might actually be linked by a common set of aging genes. This model also implies... (more) |
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 | Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research | | Cell Physiologic Stresses and Telomere-Based Cell Senescence
2003 Senior Scholar Award in Aging
The biological processes that cause human aging are complex and remain poorly understood. Two general mechanisms have been proposed to explain the aging of human tissue. The first postulates that aging is caused by the accumulated damage that cells within our tissues sustain due to various stresses that they encounter during a human... (more) |
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