The Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research

Eric Verdin, MD-Co-Director
Malene Hansen, PhD- Co-Director
Ashley Webb, PhD- Associate Director
Greg Chin, PhD- Program Coordinator

• 
  Julie Andersen, PhD  Professor, Buck Institute

  On the road to new therapeutics for neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

  JAndersen@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Chris Benz, MD  Professor, Buck Institute

  Undertaking bench-to-bedside and community efforts to reduce the incidence of breast cancer and improve patient outcomes.

  CBenz@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Lisa Ellerby, PhD  Professor, Buck Institute

  Understanding the pathways that lead to nerve cell death in Huntington’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

  LEllerby@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Jennifer Garrison, PhD  Assistant Professor, Buck Institute

  Understanding how a breakdown in homeostasic brain circuits leads to organismal aging.

  JGarrison@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Pejmun Haghighi, PhD  Professor, Buck Institute

  Tuning neural function as it relates to aging and age-related diseases.

  PHaghighi@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Malene Hansen, PhD  Professor & Chief Scientific Officer, Buck Institute

  Investigating the role and regulation of the cellular recycling process autophagy in aging and age-related diseases.

  MHansen@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Pankaj Kapahi, PhD  Professor, Buck Institute

  Understanding the role of nutrition and energy metabolism in lifespan and disease.

  PKapahi@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Gordon Lithgow, PhD  Professor & Chief Academic Officer, Buck Institute

  Uncovering genes and small molecules that prolong lifespan through enhanced molecular stability.

  GLithgow@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Simon Melov, PhD  Professor, Buck Institute

  Identifying molecular hallmarks of aging to guide the development of anti-aging therapies.

  SMelov@buckinstitute.org

• 
  John Newman, MD, PhD  Assistant Professor, Buck Institute

  Harnessing metabolic signals to treat geriatric syndromes of aging.

  JNewman@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Nathan Price, PhD  Professor, Buck Institute

  AI-driven advancements and models for pioneering scientific wellness and enhancing human healthspan.

  NPrice@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Birgit Schilling, PhD  Assistant Professor, Buck Institute

  Uncovering how protein pathways are implicated in aging and disease.

  BSchilling@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Tara Tracy, PhD  Assistant Professor, Buck Institute

  Investigating the mechanisms that promote memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementias.

  TTracy@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Eric Verdin, MD  President & CEO, Buck Institute

  Understanding epigenetic regulators of the aging process.

  EVerdin@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Ashley Webb, PhD  Associate Professor, Buck Institute

  Investigating the molecular mechanisms of brain aging and neurodegeneration

  AWebb@buckinstitute.org

• 
  Kai Zhou, PhD  Fellow, Buck Instititute

  Understanding the plasticity and homeostasis of the cellular proteome under stress conditions and aging.

  KZhou@buckinstitute.org

The major goal of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at the Buck Institute is to encourage and support new interdisciplinary activities at the Institute that will build on existing expertise, while identifying and exploiting synergies with the promise of major breakthroughs in geroscience. We anticipate the impact of these breakthroughs to range from the conceptual to the translational: developing a deeper understanding of the aging process, identifying new targets for  potential interventions, and developing and testing intervention strategies. The Center will foster novel collaborations between multiple laboratories with  the goal of making a real impact in geroscience.

Our program leans on the ‘Seven Pillars of Aging’ identified by the NIH Geroscience Initiative: Metabolism, Macromolecular Damage, Epigenetics, Inflammation, Adaptation to Stress, Proteostasis, and Stem cells and Regeneration. In addition to the seven pillars of aging,  we recognize that the mechanisms driving aging are inter-connected. For instance, macromolecular damage can lead to cellular senescence, promoting localized inflammation.  Thus, while it is important to identify and elaborate the pillars of aging themselves, it is also critical to understand how they are connected and what might trigger the earliest events in the aging process. Given our focus on geroscience and our collaborative nature, the Buck Institute is in an ideal position to understand how aging pathways are related and to begin to establish a systems level understanding of aging.

Projects are reviewed and selected by the Glenn Center Executive Committee and representative Buck Institute faculty based on the project’s research potential and the caliber of the postdoctoral fellow it will support. Fellows serve a period of two to three years each depending on progress and the project requirements. Fellowship Stipends are commensurate with experience and follow NIH recommended postdoctoral stipend levels. Trainees gain knowledge in the mechanisms of biological aging and its relationship to chronic disease. They gain skills in critical thinking to evaluate new research findings and in written and verbal skills that enrich their publications, grant proposals, and oral presentations. Ongoing seminar series, basic science and clinical lectures, well-organized journal clubs, and research meetings provide up-to-date information and intellectual cross-fertilization that can lead to the next wave of major discoveries in the field.

Projects must have the following components:

• A novel project that addresses connectivity between at least two of the pillars of aging.
• Collaborative science with a primary mentor and a co-mentor having expertise in two areas of aging.
• Projects of two-year duration, with a third year subject to demonstration of significant progress.
• Proposals reviewed by an internal panel of investigators at the Buck Institute and with involvement of the Glenn Foundation, if desired.
• Emphasis on the development of translational approaches to extend human healthspan will be viewed favorably, subject to compliance with other requirements.

1. Dysregulation of epigenetic landscape by APOE disrupts cellular homeostasis
   Dr. Cristian Geronimo-Olivera
   Primary mentor Dr. Ellerby, co-mentor Dr. Schilling.

2. Identifying new selective autophagy receptors with roles in neurodegeneration
   Dr. Bijoya Sen
   Primary mentor Dr. Hansen, co-mentor Dr. Andersen.

3. The role of DOR in ovarian senescence and its impact on aging in flies and mice
   Dr. Dipti Verma
   Primary mentor Dr. Kapahi, co-mentor Dr. Desprez.

4. How sex hormones influence neural circuits for fluid homeostasis during aging
   Dr. Heeun Jang
   Primary mentor Dr. Garrison, co-mentor Dr. Newman.

5. From proteostasis to metabolism: age-related structural changes in the mitochondrial ribosome alter mitochondrial metabolism.
   Dr. Zhu Qiao
   Primary mentor Dr. Zhou, co-mentor Dr. Andersen.

6. Loss of Proteostasis in the Periphery Causes Inflammation in the Aging Brain
   Dr. Fan Zheng
   Primary mentor Dr. Haghighi, co-mentor Dr. Zhou.