What inspired you to pursue aging research?
Over the past few decades, average life expectancies and associated age-related disorders have increased globally. Aging is a critical risk factor for a variety of diseases, including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. However, much medical research focuses on single diseases rather than the underlying mechanisms of the aging process. This inspired my interest in aging, with the goal of using mechanistic knowledge to prevent and intervene in age-related disorders.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
Our approach is not limited to the metabolic systems touched upon here. I envision an explosion of interest in all areas of aging biology looking to exploit this new sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. I am enthusiastic about building a like-minded peer network at the Hevolution/AFAR Grantee Conference to discuss challenges, brainstorm solutions, and develop collaborations. This network is especially valuable as prize winners have gone on to become some of the most highly regarded aging researchers in their respective fields.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
Despite years of technological advances in chemical, biophysical, and cell biology approaches, our ability to map metabolic pathways inside cells remains fragmented, limiting our understanding of how metabolism changes upon aging and disease. Our approach, optical photo-thermal infrared microscopy, allows us to observe localized metabolism and even probe real-time biomolecule rearrangements with high resolution. This project will uncover new localized layers of metabolism that can be exploited to re-engineer processes associated with aging.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
Our metabolism is central to our health, including aging, and disease, encompassing the hundreds of chemical reactions that are necessary for cellular function, growth, and survival. The classic view of metabolism, taught in textbooks for decades, is that these reactions are evenly distributed across the cell. However, over the past 40 years it has become clear that additional regulatory mechanisms exist to adapt these reactions in time and space, responding to local cellular needs. My research allows us to observe localized metabolism resulting in knowledge that could rewrite textbooks.
