Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Organismal aging is fascinating. At the root of many diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases), aging is exceptionally complex and often defies conventional rules of biological processes.
To address this challenge, our lab has combined different organisms with the goal of uncovering new mechanisms that modulate aging. For example, we showed that chromatin modifiers impact lifespan, and we made the unexpected discovery that lifespan extension by chromatin modifiers could be inherited in a transgenerational manner. In mammals, we also identified the functional mechanisms that influence regenerative pools of stem cells, notably in the brain, with the goal of reverting features of brain aging and preventing cognitive decline.
We have pioneered the naturally short-lived African killifish as a transformative vertebrate model to study aging and longevity. By developing the genetic and genomic toolkit for this species – assembling its genome and developing a versatile CRISPR/Cas9 pipeline – we have transformed this organism into a powerful vertebrate model to study longevity. In recent years, we have used the killifish to identify previously unknown candidate genes and mechanisms underlying lifespan differences in vertebrates. We have also used the killifish to understand the molecular logic of “suspended animation” states, which allow long-term protection of organisms in nature.
