MDI Biological Laboratory Scientist Receives Prestigious Award to Study Aging

BAR HARBOR, MAINE – Aric Rogers, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, has received a New Scholar in Aging Award from the Ellison Medical Foundation. The award will provide $400,000 to support research in his lab over the next four years.

“This award is a strong endorsement of Aric’s research and the growth of aging and regeneration research at MDIBL,” says MDIBL director Kevin Strange, Ph.D. “The Ellison Foundation is the premier funder of cutting-edge biological research in aging. Until this year, MDIBL scientists were not even considered eligible to apply for these awards. But we told Ellison about the Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine, and the result speaks for itself.”

Rogers studies the small roundworm C. elegans to understand how genetic activity changes during certain conditions, such as dietary restriction, that promote a longer lifespan. The Ellison award will enable Rogers to learn more about how certain late stages of gene expression are altered under conditions that increase lifespan and their importance to slowing aging.

“It’s crucial that we gain a better understanding of these processes and how they relate to aging,” Rogers says. “Our ultimate goal is to understand how life-extending interventions work across different species and apply what is learned to extend human health and longevity.”

Rogers joined MDIBL in February 2013 after conducting postdoctoral research at the Buck Institute for Research in Aging in California. His work is also supported by a “Pathway to Independence Award” from the National Institute of Aging, one of the National Institutes of Health.