University of Pittsburgh

Ageing is the #1 risk factor for most human diseases, including cancer and many neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. It is now clear that the ageing process is under genetic regulation and that manipulation of ageing genes can slow the onset and reduce the severity of age-related disease pathophysiology. Most ageing genes also regulate the reponse to environmental stress, suggesting an important relationship between ageing and stress. Our lab studies the cell biological and physiological responses to stress using the model system C. elegans and explores how these responses might be leveraged to treat ageing and age-related diseases.