Organisms have evolved molecular machines to help newly synthesized proteins fold properly and also to eliminate mature proteins once they are recognized as damaged or misfolded. Many studies have shown that, as they age, cells become less efficient at recognizing and degrading damaged or misfolded proteins. However, our understanding of how...
Senior and New Scholars Awards for Stanford University
Dr. Thomas Wandless
Stanford University
2010 senior Scholar Award in aging
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Dr. Howard Chang
Stanford University
2009 senior Scholar Award in aging
Aging is associated with widespread but subtle changes in gene expression. We and others have discovered that one of the drivers of the age-dependent gene expression programs in mammals is the stress-responsive transcription factor NF-kB. For instance, both molecular and cellular features of aged skin require ongoing NF-kB activity because... |
Dr. Marius Wernig
Stanford University
2010 new Scholar Award in aging
A hallmark of human aging is cognitive decline caused by various cell biological alterations in the brain such as degeneration of neurons, dysfunctional neuronal connections (also known as synapses) and other processes. Progress towards the understanding of the cellular basis of aging of the human brain has been limited due to lack of experimental...
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Dr. Katrin Chua
Stanford University
2008 new Scholar Award in aging
Fully stretched out, the DNA in each mammalian cell extends roughly six feet in length. To fit within the confines of a cell, this DNA is wound around specialized proteins and thereby condensed into a compact form called chromatin. The structure of chromatin is tightly regulated to modulate the accessibility of the genome to a host of... |
Dr. Mark M. Davis
Stanford University
2006 senior Scholar Award in aging
The immune system is central to human health and its impairment or dysfunction can have severe or even fatal consequences. One of the hallmarks of aging is the progressive loss of immune function, exposing older people to increased risk from infectious diseases that would not normally be more than an inconvenience. The indicators for this...
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Dr. Or Gozani
Stanford University
2009 senior Scholar Award in aging
My laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which chromatin signaling networks effect epigenetic programs to influence aging-dependent processes. Our work centers on the biology of protein lysine methylation, a principal chromatin-regulatory mechanism thought to be involved in directing epigenetic programs. Epigenetic...
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Dr. Clifford Wang
Stanford University
2009 new Scholar Award in aging
Previous studies have observed greater variation in gene expression in cells from older animals. This suggests that stochasticity in expression could be a cause of aging. We hypothesize that random, stochastic fluctuations in global gene expression can contribute to aging. To test our hypothesis, we are creating a gene expression oscillator. Any...
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Dr. Anthony De Tomaso
Stanford University
2007 new Scholar Award in aging
The key physiological characteristic of aging is a failure to maintain tissue integrity due to progressive deterioration, coupled to the apparent exhaustion of normal regenerative potential. This may be due to environmental factors, such as DNA damage, which eventually cannot be overcome, and/or genetic components may exist that enforce intrinsic...
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Dr. Karlene A. Cimprich
Stanford University
2008 senior Scholar Award in aging
Several models have been proposed to explain the molecular basis of aging, a prominent one of which involves the damage of nuclear DNA. DNA damage accumulates with age, and genetic defects in DNA repair and DNA damage signaling pathways lead to symptoms of premature aging both in animal models and in humans. How the accumulation of DNA damage...
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Dr. Anne Brunet
Stanford University
2009 senior Scholar Award in aging
The discovery that somatic cells can be converted into pluripotent embryonic stem cells ("reprogramming") holds great promise for tissue rejuvenation. Understanding the mechanisms of reprogramming should give important insights into the molecular basis of regeneration in long-lived mammals. Clues to key regulators of reprogramming... |
Dr. Carla Shatz
Stanford University
2009 senior Scholar Award in aging
How does our brain change with learning and experience throughout life? What makes a baby's brain able to learn so quickly during early developmental critical periods? Why don't we retain this amazing capacity throughout life? Is there a way to restore to the aging brain the child's capacity to learn and remember? Trying to answer this last... |
Dr. Anthony D. Wagner
Stanford University
2000 new Scholar Award in aging
Memory is crucial for many aspects of human behavior, from day-to-day behaviors, such as remembering to take medications, to more fundamental cognitive abilities, such as reasoning and problem solving. The centrality of memory for these and other cognitive behaviors is too often painfully evident when memory fails due to neurodegenerative disease...
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Funded Institutions
The Ellison Medical Foundation fosters research by means of grants-in-aid on behalf of investigators to universities and laboratories within the United States. Institutions receiving awards must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or U.S. colleges or universities.
The Ellison Medical Foundation