Role of early epigenetic events in stress resistance and lifespan
Why do some individuals live longer than others? How early in life is the clock set? Are there ways to make our clock keep ticking longer? By studying Caenorhabditis elegans, a well-recognized aging model, Dr. Jakob has discovered that specific signals, encountered by individuals during early development, can set processes into motion that act to extend their lifespan. Dr. Jakob will now seek to determine and understand the long-term effects that are responsible for the increased lifespan in an effort to find later-stage interventions that promote longevity, and test whether these early-life events promote longevity even in subsequent generations.