On September 15, 2022, AFAR Board members S. Jay Olshansky, PhD, and Laura Niedernhofer, MD, PhD spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology through the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight at a special Hearing Charter, "The Fountain of Youth? The Quest for Aging Therapies." They lend remarks alongside Dr. Steve Horvath, Principal Investigator, Altos Labs.
The purpose of this hearing was to discuss the state of geroscience, the study of aging and age-related diseases, and leading research efforts to develop therapeutic interventions. The hearing examined the ethical and societal implications that may result as aging therapies grow closer to commercial readiness and considered the role of the federal government and barriers that may be affecting the research effort.
Dr. Olshansky is an AFAR board member and 2016 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction recipient. He is currently a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Research Associate at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Chief Scientist at Lapetus Solutions, Inc.
Dr. Niedernhofer is an AFAR board member, 2018 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research recipient, and a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota.
Watch a recording of the hearing here.
Read a related background document here.
Their testistimonies complement the work of AFAR's Amplifying Geroscience Initiative to further awareness on the federal level for geroscience and aging research. Learn more about this initiative here.
