Advancing Research
by funding Grant Programs and Fellowships
Driving Innovation
by guiding studies such as the FAST Initiative, the SuperAgers Initiative, and the TAME Trial
Furthering the Field
by supporting the infrastructure of three NIA Initiatives and leading the Amplifying Geroscience Initiative.
Top Breakthroughs driven by AFAR Experts
Delaying Disease by Targeting Aging
Saving Costs by Extending Healthspan
What are the Hallmarks of Aging?
How and Why Do We Age?
What is Geroscience?
What is the Longevity Dividend?
What's Next in aging research?
Dr. MacGurn is interested in understanding how cells maintain protein quality, which is particularly challenging as cells age due to a decline in the function of normal protein degradation pathways.
Just like us, cells within us have many important housekeeping duties, and a very important housekeeping function is garbage disposal. Cells have many different mechanisms for disposal of different types of garbage, and Dr. MacGurn studies how the cells target unwanted proteins for destruction because this may play a role in determining longevity. Specifically, Dr. MacGurn is searching for ways to enhance the cell's normal garbage disposal mechanisms to help prevent the build-up of unwanted garbage which would extend the lifespan of the cell.
