What inspired you to pursue aging research?
Aging is one of the only conditions that impacts everyone in the world. My lab became inspired to pursue aging research because aging causes a very significant decline in mitochondrial function, which leads to many aging-related ailments including muscle fatigue, neurodegeneration, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. We are passionate about uncovering the mechanisms behind this decline in mitochondrial function and seeing if we can use our novel tools to restore mitochondrial function in aged mammals.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is the glue that holds together the aging community. This organization has not only facilitated aging research financially through grants and training fellowships but also has fostered many interdisciplinary collaborations that have yielded fundamental and translational discoveries related to mammalian aging. My lab is incredibly grateful to now be part of this community, share our research and expertise in mitochondrial biology and metabolism, and learn from other experts in this field. This is a very exciting time for our research because we just discovered a new mammalian metabolite that regulates mitochondrial function. This grant will allow us to study, for the first time, the role of this metabolite in aging and mitochondrial decline!
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
We recently discovered a previously unknown small molecule that is present inside the mitochondria and regulates its function. This molecule has never been studied in the context of aging (let alone many other areas of biology and disease!) and our research will be the first to assess the potential to exploit this molecule and its activity to mitigate mitochondrial decline in aging.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
My lab uses high-resolution mass spectrometry to study mitochondrial biology in health and human disease. High-resolution mass spectrometry is a tool that allows researchers to measure the levels of small molecules in biological material. Mitochondria can be linked to the battery of the cell, and when this battery loses its “charge,” the function of the cell begins to decline significantly. The decline in mitochondrial function is one of the hallmarks of aging. My lab has recently discovered a new small molecule that regulates mitochondrial function, and we are currently studying how the activity of this molecule changes during aging. Furthermore, we have developed pharmacological means to improve mitochondrial function using this molecule, and are testing if it can be used to mitigate mitochondrial decline over time.
