Assistant Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital
Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research - 2022
What inspired you to pursue aging research?
I studied autophagy when I was a graduate student. I was fascinated by the connection between autophagy and aging, from Beth Levine's research. I wanted to do something related to aging research for my postdoc, so I found Shelley Berger's lab at UPenn. Interestingly, my first postdoc project was on autophagy and aging. This direction is still ongoing in my current independent laboratory.
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 pioneering in supporting aging research and in communicating the science of aging to the general public. Personally, receiving this AFAR award as a junior faculty member suggests that our research project is valued by the aging research community—I'm very appreciative of this recognition.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
Nuclear proteostasis is a fundamental biological process which becomes problematic during aging. Investigating this basic scientific aspect of aging may reveal new knowledge of aging. If proven, the new process we identified could be involved in the aging process of many tissues.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
The nucleus is the headquarters of a cell. During aging, the balance of proteins in the nucleus is problematic, which promotes aging and many age-associated diseases. Our research tries to understand how the balance of nuclear proteins becomes an issue and how to restore the balance. We think restoring this balance is a potential target to treat diseases of aging and to promote healthy and productive aging.
