What inspired you to pursue aging research?
Although aging is inevitable, it is fascinating to know that we can change how we age. Rather than targeting individual diseases, we now know that slowing aging will have broader implications for preventing/delaying several age-related diseases. This inspired me to pursue aging research as it is an exciting time to be a member of this field and help devise strategies to increase healthspan in the growing aging population across the globe.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
AFAR is at the forefront of aging research by supporting innovative ideas and promoting the next generation of young scientists. For an early-career investigator like myself, the AFAR Junior Faculty award will greatly support the efforts to test novel high-risk ideas which will help in generating preliminary data for securing NIH funds. AFAR has also played a key role in my transition to an independent research position through the AFAR postdoc faculty transition award in 2019. Overall, support from AFAR has been instrumental in promoting my career in the aging field.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
Although calorie restriction exerts robust beneficial effects on lifespan and healthspan, it is not practical for the majority of the population to adhere to it in the long run. Instead, we can use CR as a tool to understand what regulatory pathways can be targeted to slow aging. Our project has the potential to uncover adipose tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms needed for CR to confer anti-aging benefits.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
Restricting daily calorie intake not only confers metabolic benefits but also slows down aging. During calorie restriction (CR), fat tissue undergoes significant changes in mass and function. Understanding the mechanisms through which CR reprograms fat tissue metabolism will inform strategies for healthy aging. Specifically, we are proposing to investigate if the breakdown of stored lipids in the fat tissue is a key initial step required for the metabolic benefits of CR. Further, we will investigate how the products of lipid breakdown (free fatty acids) regulate functionally different subpopulations of white fat cells in CR.
