What inspired you to pursue aging research?
Aging is a universal and inevitable process affecting all organisms. In humans, aging is causally related to multiple age-related diseases that afflict billions of elderly worldwide. I’m curious about the mystery of agingand excited to uncover potential strategies for new anti-aging interventions that could benefit the agingpopulation.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
My research has continuously focused on aging biology for over ten years. There is no doubt that AFAR has made great contributions to aging research by funding a large number of brilliant scientists and excellent studies. For me, as my first grant and a milestone in my academic career, receiving the AFAR Fellowship is both a great honor and further inspiration to remain in and make important contributions to the aging field in the future.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
We identify a conserved bridge in the nuclear pore complex (NPC) connecting organismal energetic status to adaptive transcription of lipid catabolic pathways and positive modulation of longevity. Intriguingly, its metabolic and anti-aging actions are independent of nuclear transport, which is the canonical function of most nucleoporins, uncovering a heretofore unappreciated role of the NPC in modulating metabolism and aging by changing the metabolic landscape. Excitingly, activation of this nucleoporin alone is sufficient to extend lifespan and promote healthy aging, indicating that if we can understand how to harness this mechanism in aging, we could potentially put forward new strategies to extend the life period over which aging humans are healthy and free from disease.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
Dietary restriction is known to extend organismal healthspan and lifespan across species by activating metabolic defense pathways, but dietary restriction also has psychological and physiological side effects. My research focusing on the molecular mechanism bridging energy sensing and metabolic adaptation is poised to identify the core molecules which promote the anti-aging actions of nutrient stresses such as dietary restriction. This project expects to demonstrate the ancient role of the nuclear pore complex in model organisms and human cells that could uncover new strategies for promoting healthy aging and metabolism.
