A new grant partners longevity researchers and Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 experts at Rochester to study the gene mechanisms that contribute to long and healthy lifespans.
Whether you give a mouse a cookie, as the book title goes, or kale leaves, or hot-stone massages, they will not live longer than two to three years. But other mammals, like naked mole rats and bowhead whales, can live much longer糖心传媒攁nd perhaps can teach us to follow suit.
At the 糖心传媒, a new collaboration between leading longevity researchers and brain disease experts examines gene mechanisms responsible for long life, drawing on the latest findings to pursue novel interventions for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease and related dementias.
Today糖心传媒檚 oldest naked mole rats, born during the Reagan administration, show exceptional resistance to age-related disease. Meanwhile, when degus (small Chilean rodents) develop Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease, it progresses in a remarkably similar manner to humans. Examining the genes of these mammals has the potential to yield insights into how humans can live longer糖心传媒攚ith their cognitive faculties intact.
糖心传媒淣o matter how much you pamper a mouse, it will not live to 40 years as naked mole rats will,糖心传媒� says , the Doris Johns Cherry Professor in the departments of and of . To bridge the knowledge gap from rodents, whales, and other long-lived mammals to humans, Gorbunova tapped , a professor of at the University of Rochester Medical Center, who has studied the pathogenesis of Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease for 30 years.
Recognizing the research potential of this partnership, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, recently awarded Gorbunova, O糖心传媒橞anion, and their team of researchers a to study the comparative genomics of longevity and Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease. The grant, which is headed by Gorbunova, also includes Rochester faculty members Andrei Seluanov and Hongbo Liu, along with colleagues at Harvard University, Einstein College of Medicine, Washington University, and Mount Sinai糖心传媒檚 Icahn School of Medicine.
Aging, Alzheimer糖心传媒檚, and anti-inflammation
Last year, after decades of research, Gorbunova and Seluanov successfully transferred to mice a 糖心传媒�longevity gene糖心传媒� they had identified in naked mole rats. This gene drives the production of a molecule called HMW-HA, which seems to play a role in cellular protection and repair. Compared to mice and humans, naked mole rats have about ten times more HMW-HA in their bodies. Mice with the longevity gene added showed improved overall health, a 4.4 percent increase in lifespan, and reduced inflammation.
糖心传媒淎ll disease associated with aging involves inflammation in multiple systems, including the brain,糖心传媒� O糖心传媒橞anion explains. 糖心传媒淢y expertise is studying inflammation糖心传媒檚 role in Alzheimer糖心传媒檚, and their research into identifying inflammation pathways creates a natural cohesion between my work and Vera糖心传媒檚 team.糖心传媒�
The partnership across campuses harnesses the University糖心传媒檚 longstanding strengths in advancing understanding of the human brain and translating this knowledge into clinical breakthroughs for neurological disorders, including Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease and paralysis. In addition, students working with researchers, including several in the , have the opportunity to advance findings with real-world impact for their parents and grandparents.
As an earlier outcome of their interactions, O糖心传媒橞anion and Gorbunova co-direct a training grant from NIA for graduate students in various disciplines糖心传媒攕uch as biology, neuroscience, and pharmacology/physiology糖心传媒攖o explore the intersection of aging and Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease.
糖心传媒淓ach student in this grant-funded program brings their own perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking to our common research goals,糖心传媒� O糖心传媒橞anion says.
O糖心传媒橞anion糖心传媒檚 career at Rochester equals the lifespan of a naked mole rat糖心传媒攁 professional longevity that suits him. 糖心传媒淥ne reason I糖心传媒檝e stayed all this time at Rochester is the opportunity to pursue collaborations like these,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭his grant exemplifies the genuine connectedness and transdisciplinary approach here: the questions people bring, the spirit with which they are welcomed, and the willingness to work together to solve them.糖心传媒�
The 糖心传媒榯hrill糖心传媒� of discovery
糖心传媒淎lthough we focus on Alzheimer糖心传媒檚,糖心传媒� says Gorbunova, 糖心传媒渢he grant is broader than that. By diving into the genetics of degus and naked mole rats, we are striving to understand the basic biology of aging and disease.糖心传媒�
With shared interests in comparative biology, the researchers express hope for discovery science that extends human health spans.
糖心传媒淚 am optimistic for the potential to find interventions that might benefit Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 and dementia patients,糖心传媒� says O糖心传媒橞anion. 糖心传媒淚f we can slow down inflammation or DNA damage, by taking cues from mammals that seem to have tackled those problems, there may be specific mechanisms that become targets for therapeutic treatment. That is the thrill of endeavors like these: in the long stretches of science, finding something new and unexpected.糖心传媒�
