Old age is the greatest risk factor for many diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cancer. First author and Professor David Schubert, senior author Pamela Maher and colleagues identified a unique subclass of anti-aging compounds, dubbed geroneuroprotectors. These potential AD-drug candidates slow the aging process in mice.
Read News ReleaseAssistant Professor Saket Navlakha and Vice President, Chief Science Officer and Professor Martin Hetzer, along with first author Jason Fleischer and colleagues, analyzed skin cells ranging from the very young to the very old and found molecular signatures that can be predictive of age. By better understanding the biological processes of aging, this work could help to address health conditions that are more common in advanced age, such as heart disease and dementia.
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Gerald Shadel explores stressed-out mitochondriaInside Salk sat down with Shadel to find out how he became interested in mitochondria, what he is driven by scientifically and what he has learned about aging along the way.
The science of agingWhat we know about longevity so far: Minimizing smoking, obesity and overeating while maximizing exercise and social interactions seem to correspond to longer and healthier lives, but not always. While many factors have been touted as panaceas for extending life–everything from adhering to a Mediterranean diet to regularly imbibing red wine–a “fountain of youth” has remained stubbornly elusive.
Lillian Eichner: Reading the clues to fight cancerEichner began studying cancer while pursuing her PhD at McGill University in Montreal. She was drawn to the Salk Institute for her postdoctoral studies because Reuben Shaw, director of the Salk Cancer Center and a professor in Salk’s Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, has taken a new approach to cancer by studying the metabolic pathways of deadly tumors.
