AFAR has released two release a two-part series of expert discussions exploring the ways systemic health disparities have led to disproportionate impacts within vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This two-part series focuses on two pressing issues of inequity, detailing how COVID-19 has affected persons of color—specifically Black older adults—and Nursing Home residents. The reports feature insights from leading public health researchers and gerontologists

February 3

AFAR Scientific Director Nir Barzilai, MD, recently gave a talk on Immunosenescence and COVID-19 Vaccines for the Elderly at two-day symposium organized by the NY Academy of Sciences. They have been kind enough to share a recording and allowed us to post this insightful and relevant symposium presentation. Watch the recording here.

January 20

New research in Nature, "Restoring metabolism of myeloid cells reverses cognitive decline in ageing," co-authored by AFAR grantees Frank M. Longo, MD, PhD, and Katrin Andreasson, MD. Read the research here.

January 13

In our Ask the Expert interview series, AFAR Beeson scholar XinQi Dong, MD, MPH, discusses how the pandemic has affected his research and gives his insights on the potential impact of the new COVID-19 variant, highlighting ways older adults can best stay safe. Read more here.

October 20

AFAR Senior Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, published his latest column in Next Avenue examining the various COVID-19 vaccines currently in development, detailing their potential safety and how effective they will be in older adults. Read more here.

October 14

Nature featured insights from AFAR grantees Jenna Bartley, PhD, and Matt Kaeberlein, PhD, and AFAR Board President-Elect James L. Kirkland, MD, PhD,on how promising gerotherapeutics, which target the biology of aging and bolster the immune system, can help improve immunity and ensure the effectiveness of potential COVID-19 vaccines in older adults. Research from Dr. Bartley and Dr. Kirkland was also featured. Read here.

September 25

Two-time AFAR grantee Daniel L. Promislow, PhD, shared his early reactions to the exponential growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in Forbes. Read here.

September 23

New AFAR-funded research in JAMA Network Open co-authored by AFAR expert M. Brandon Westover, MD, PhD, finds coronavirus patients with elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW) at admission and rising RDW during hospitalization experience higher COVID-19 mortality rates. Read here.

July 29

AFAR Scientific Director Nir Barzilai, MD, co-authored an essay with Jamie Metzl in leapsmag on using drug interventions that target the biology of aging to make potential COVID-19 vaccines more effective in older adults. Read here.

July 20

National Scientific Advisory Council member George Kuchel, MD, FRCP, AGSF, co-authored new research in The Journals of Gerontology, "Preexisting Comorbidities Predicting COVID-19 and Mortality in the UK Biobank Community Cohort." Read here.

July 14

The Wall Street Journal featured insights from Dr. Barzilai and Board Member David Sinclair, PhD, in an article highlighting how men and women age differently, and how this difference may help explain why older men are more vulnerable to COVID-19 at much higher rates. Read here.

July 9

As part of a new "COVID-19 & Different Disciplines" series produced by the Clin-STAR Coordinating Center, Dr. Thomas Cudjoe discussed how his training as a geriatrician was helpful in his work responding to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. He considers how the pandemic has affected how he carries out research and spotlights issues of social isolation among older adults and the impact on their health. Read here.

July 6

Aging and Disease journal published an article authored by six AFAR experts posing how geroscience can be applied to diminish the impact of COVID-19 and its disproportionate effect on older adults. Contributing authors include: Dr. Austad, Scientific Director Nir Barzilai, MD, 2001 AFAR Grant recipient Ana Maria Cuervo, MD, PhD, AFAR grantee Dr. Kaeberlein, 1993 AFAR Grant recipient Felipe Sierra, PhD, as well as AFAR Executive Director Stephanie Lederman. Read here.

June 28

AFAR grantees E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH, and Sharon K. Inouye, MD, spoke to The New York Times on the cause of rising cases of hospital delirium experienced by some COVID-19 patients. Read here.

June 26

In a WIRED UK article, Dr. Barzilai explained how targeting the biology of aging can help target COVID-19, particularly with drugs that are already available on the market such as metformin and rapamycin. Read here.

June 22

Dr. Barzilai and AFAR Board Members Jim Mellon and Sergey Young co-authored an Op Ed in The Times UK on the need to test generic drugs with potential to reduce the impact of COVID-19, specifically the drug Metformin. Read here.

June 16

In an Op-Ed to US News and World Report co-authored with Paul Irving, Dr. Barzilai highlighted why those suffering from age-related chronic diseases are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Read here.

June 5

The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published an editorial co-authored by 1998 Paul B. Beeson Scholar Thomas T. Perls, MD, MPH, AGSF, highlighting why long term care facilities are more vulnerable to high COVID-19 mortality rates and continue to surge despite the total decline, and what factors need to be considered in future policy. Read here.

June 5

AFAR Board President Mark. S. Lachs, MD, MPH, contributed insights to new research in JAMA Networks on how COVID-19 has specifically impacted Long-Term Care (LTC) living facilities at higher rates, and the importance of including their unique needs in prevention models and public health policy moving forward. Read here.

June 5

Dr. Barzilai provided insights in The Philadelphia Inquirer exploring how some older adults are less vulnerable to COVID-19 or surviving infection. This article was then featured in MSN News. Read here.

May 25

Insights shared during our webinar, "Maintaining Immune Health in the Face of COVID-19 and Future Viruses," were featured in Jane Brody's Personal Health column in The New York Times here.

May 17

AFAR expert and multiple grantee Dr. Kaeberlein, published an Op Ed in The Hill, "COVID-19: Why it kills the elderly and what we should do about it,” on why it is more important than ever to target the hallmarks of aging as a way to protect older adults in the face of COVID-19. Read here.

May 13

The Sarasota Herald Tribune shared insights from Dr. Barzilai and Dr. Kuchel from our webinar, “Maintaining Immune Health in the Face of COVID-19 and Future Viruses.” Read here.

May 1

Dr. Lachs co-authored an Op-Ed published in The Hill, "Want to slash coronavirus deaths? Start (really) caring about long term care." Addressing how at least 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths in many states occur in nursing home and assisted living residents, the piece called for increased funding, supplies, testing, staff support, and a national task force to support this vulnerable community. Read here.

April 17

In the Journal of Gerontology-Series A, Dr. Promislow contributed the article, "A geroscience perspective on COVID-19 mortality," which explored how the effects of age and sex on mortality rates from COVID-19 mirror the effects of aging on almost all major causes of mortality, and underscore the need to consider the role of basic biological mechanisms of aging on potential treatment and outcomes of COVID-19. Read here.

April 15

In our Ask the Expert interview, 2006 Beeson Scholar Sean X. Leng, MD, PhD, gave his insights on the relationship between his lab's research on immune decline and COVID-19 in older adults. Read the interview here.

April 15

1993 AFAR Research Grant recipient Felipe Sierra, PhD, penned a letter to the editor in the April 2020 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Sierra proposes that a geroscience strategy should serve us to fight not only the current COVID‐19 epidemic, but also all those that are yet to come. Read here.

April 9

In Longevity Technology, Dr. Barzilai, discussed treating the biology of aging to lessen the impact of future viruses. He argued there may be drugs already on the market that could build immune resistance and treat COVID-19 – we just need to test them. Read here.

April 7

Dr. Barzilai spoke to WIRED about testing the potential of drugs such as metformin in the AFAR-managed TAME Trial to see how they impact immunity. Read here.

April 6

In The New York Times, Paul B. Beeson scholar Harlan Krumholz, MD, explored why hospitals have seen a dramatic decline in heart attack and stroke in-patients since the pandemic began. Read here.

March 31

The April 2020 issue of The Journal of Gerontology, Series A focused on COVID-19 and several AFAR experts contribute articles, including 2016 BIG Award recipient Rozalyn Anderson, PhD, RCCN Co-Director Stephen Kritchevsky, PhD, and two-time grantee Daniel Promislow, PhD. Read here.

March 30

Dr. Kuchel highlighted how aging lowers immunity and increases frailty, explaining why older adults are more susceptible to infection and viruses like COVID-19 in STAT News.

Research In-progress

2018 Irene Diamond Fund/AFAR Postdoctoral Transition Awards in Aging recipient Troy Cross, PhD, is leading the COVID-19 Physical Activity and Well-being Survey (PAWS) to study how the pandemic has impacted individual physical activity habits and/or well-being. Data has been collected, and the research is forthcoming.