What inspired you to pursue aging research?
Our lab has long been fascinated by how systemic changes in the body affect tissue stem cells. Previously, we discovered how acute and chronic stress affects stem cells in the skin. From this work, we began to see interesting parallels between stress phenotypes and aging phenotypes. Could stress represent an accelerated aging process at the cellular and molecular level? We also realized that the accessible and tractable nature of skin phenotypes, along with our newly developed viral tools, provided us with a unique opportunity to perform an in vivo-based screen to identify genes that can drive or suppress age-related changes in the skin. Together, we feel our expertise may help to bring a new insight into aging research.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
AFAR has been instrumental in advancing aging research, emphasizing both innovative approaches and rigorous standards. This Discovery Award, in particular, encourages researchers like myself who have not previously worked on aging to apply. It shows AFAR’s commitment to diversifying the research landscape and enabling scientists with diverse expertise to study aging. For our lab, this award not only enables us to put our ideas into action, but it also connects us with a new community of researchers. I believe we can make a unique contribution to the aging field, and support from AFAR allows us to make this a reality.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
A key goal in aging research is to identify critical genes that can drive or suppress aging phenotypes. This has traditionally been very challenging in mammals due to the lengthy process of generating transgenic or knockout mouse models and the time required to study these genes in aging processes. Our viral strategy, combined with the accessible nature of skin, provides a unique opportunity to identify genes that can functionally drive or suppress stem cell aging and to move from visible phenotypes to detailed molecular mechanisms in a rapid timeline.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
We study how physiological changes in the body, such as stress and aging, affect the skin's ability to regenerate and repair itself. And we hope to find ways to promote regeneration and wound healing as they decline substantially with age.
