On May 9, 2014 Cell Reports released the results of Dena Dubal, MD, PhD’s, study on a gene associated with long life and Lennart Mucke, MD, winner of a 2013 MetLife Foundation Award, administered by AFAR. This study was made possible in part by Dr. Dubal’s 2009 Paul Beeson Career Development Award from AFAR.
Dr. Dubal, Dr. Mucke and the rest of their team found that KL-VS, a variant of the KLOTHO gene already associated with longevity, helped carriers perform better on cognitive tests throughout their lifespan.
Additional tests performed on mice showed that KLOTHO strengthens the connections between neurons that make learning possible.
Researchers believe that high levels of KLOTHO may help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and other diseases of cogitative decline.
Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and the director of the Laboratory of Neuroscience and Aging Research at the University of California, San Francisco.
Lennart Mucke, MD, is a Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.
Each year AFAR gives nearly $7 million dollars to promising investigators nationwide. For more information on the AFAR’s recently funded projects visit our List of Grantees page.
