Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California San Francisco
Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships in Aging Research - 2022
What inspired you to pursue aging research?
I think it is intriguing that fundamental behaviors (eating, sleeping) can change as people get older. The same 20-something that wakes up at 8am and goes to sleep at midnight will begin waking up at 6am and going to sleep at 10am when they’re 80. How does that occur? Why?
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean for you to receive an AFAR grant now?
AFAR provides support for exceptional research. Their funding frequently comes at go/no-go transition points in the careers of young investigators. Getting an AFAR grant right now provides a springboard for me to conduct exciting research and leap into a successful career in aging research that otherwise may not have been possible.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
My research deals with highly familiar topics: we all eat; we all sleep; we all want to live a longer, healthier life. My hope is that everyone can benefit from it.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
People awaken earlier in the morning and go to sleep earlier at night as they get older due to a deterioration in their intrinsic timekeeping mechanism, the circadian clock. We know that robust circadian patterns in sleep are important for metabolic health and longevity, so a major goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms whereby they break down during aging. Our lab previously sequenced the DNA of people who have had abnormalities in their sleep/wake cycle throughout their lives and identified a mutation in the circadian clock gene, PER2. Now, we’re interrogating whether that mutation serves as the link between healthy eating and increased lifespan. Better understanding the mechanism that links the circadian clock with metabolic aging will allow us to create a new class of therapeutics to improve healthspan.
