Resetting the Aging Clock: Mechanisms of Longevity in Long-Lived Mammals (Cserr Lecture)

The interface between regeneration and aging will be the subject of a “Resetting the Aging Clock” lecture series for the public by leading scientists in the field of regenerative biology and aging to be held July 22 through Aug. 1 at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine.

While aging was once viewed as a “wearing out” process — occurring in the same way that a car or appliance wears out — scientists are increasingly viewing aging as a failure to regenerate, an idea that will be familiar to those who remember how quickly they healed when they were young.

The lecture series will be held in conjunction with a two-week biomedical innovation research training course, “Immersion in Comparative Aging and Regenerative Biology (iCARB),” whose goal is to understand the determinants of regenerative capacity in diverse animal species and their link to biological aging.

Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D., who studies the naked mole rat which is known for its exceptional longevity, delivers the first in this lecture series.

Unlike the mouse, which lives for about two years, the naked mole rat lives for decades and shows no signs of aging — a phenomenon called negligible senescence. Studies of negligibly senescent animals can lead to a better understanding of human aging. The naked mole rat is the only mammal that has been found to demonstrate negligible senescence. Because aging is associated with mutations and genomic instability, Gorbunova also studies how the repair of DNA breaks changes with age in human cells and mice. Finally, she studies anti-cancer mechanisms in short- and long-lived rodents in order to better understand the increased incidence of cancer that occurs with age. Gorbunova is the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of Biology and co-director of the Rochester Aging Research Center at the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.

Doors open at 3:30 pm. You may pre-register for this event. A physical ticket or order confirmation is not needed for entry.

To learn more about this lecture series, visit the news section of our website.

The 24th Cserr Lecture is given in memory of Helen F. Cserr, Ph.D., a scientist and researcher who conducted research at the MDI Biological Laboratory for 20 summers, including on the study of the blood-brain barrier in marine organisms. She is remembered as a valued member of the MDI Biological Laboratory community because her graciousness, her brilliant mind, the high quality of her research and her ability to attract top-notch students.