Focus Area: Biology & Physiology of Aging

At the molecular level, aging is associated with a host of deteriorating functions—genomic instability, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient-sensing, cellular senescence, and more—that are grouped under the characteristic “hallmarks of aging.” Center-affiliated faculty in the Biology and Physiology of Aging focus conduct basic science and translational research to understand these hallmarks. Ultimately, these studies aim to describe basic mechanisms of aging in the body and identify interventions that can increase human healthspan, or the number of years lived free from the burden of chronic diseases.