On February 2nd, 2026, Nature Cell Biology published research co-authored by AFAR Grantees Kristopher Burkewitz, PhD, and Jason MacGurn, PhD, on how cells adapt the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the aging process and its potential as a therapeutic target for delaying age-related diseases.
Dr. Burkewitz explained more in a related Vanderbilt University news article: “Where many prior studies have documented how the levels of different cellular machineries change with age, we are focusing instead on how aging affects the way that cells house and organize these machineries within their complex inner architectures.”
Dr. Burkewitz is a 2021 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty recipient.
Dr. MacGurn is a 2014 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty recipient.
Also featured in ScienceDaily, read a related Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences news piece here.
The research was also picked up by MSN. Read “Inside aging cells, a massive downsizing operation may help them survive longer,” here.
Read the full paper “ER remodelling is a feature of ageing and depends on ER-phagy | Nature Cell Biology” here.
