Speakers

Nir Barzilai, MD, Albert Einstein Medical School - Israeli born, Dr. Barzilai was the chief medic of the Israeli army before enrolling in the Israel Institute of Technology Medical School (M.D. 1985). As a medical student he provided medical assistance at third world locations, such as at a refugee camp in Cambodia (1979-80) and at a clinic of the Kwazulu homeland in Africa (1983), and conducted biomedical research at Baylor College, NIH, and The Royal Free Hospital in London. His residency was in Medicine and Geriatrics at Hadassah Hospital (Hebrew University) and at Yale University. Dr. Barzilai then trained in Endocrinology and Molecular Biology at Cornell University Medical College and at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Barzilai is the Director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Diabetes Research Center and is a member of the Divisions of Endocrinology and Geriatrics. He is also the Director of the Montefiore Hospital Diabetes Clinic.

Dr. Barzilai’s interests focus on the basic mechanisms on the biology of aging. He was the recipient of the prestigious Beeson Fellow for Aging Research and the Senior Ellison Foundation award. He is supported by numerous grants (NIH, American Federation of Aging Research, The Ellison Medical Foundation, and The Albert Einstein College of Medicine) to investigate the reasons for the deterioration of glucose homeostasis with aging as well as to search for human longevity genes. Dr. Barzilai has published nearly 90 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and chapters in textbooks. He participated in the National Institutes of Health Workshops and Advisory Panel on Centenarians Cell/DNA Bank and Genotyping, Genetic Epidemiology of Age-Related Survival Outcomes, Metabolic regulation and Aging, Exceptional Longevity (APEL), Diabetes and Aging. He serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology and is a reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Biological Chemistry, American Journal of Physiology, Diabetes, Diabetes Care, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the International Journal of Obesity.

Shalender Bhasin, MD, Boston University School of Medicine - Dr. Bhasin is Professor of Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science; Professor of Medicine in Residence, UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Medicine. He received his M.D. from the All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, India in 1976 and subsequently completed his internship and residency and at the Northwestern University of Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois from 1978 through 1981. Dr. Bhasin received a fellowship training in Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California. He has board certification in Internal Medicine (1981) and in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition (1983). Dr. Bhasin has been affiliated with the Department of Internal Medicine at King-Drew Medical Center since 1994. He is currently the Chief of the the Division of Endocrinology in the Department of Internal Medicine. He is a reproductive endocrinologist with research interests in the areas of androgen biology and the genetics of male infertility.

Dennis Black, PhD, UCSF - Dr. Black completed his undergraduate work and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of California, Berkeley. He subsequently joined the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco, where he is currently Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Black is active in both teaching and research, with a focus on osteoporosis and clinical trials. He was the lead investigator on the Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT) of alendronate and is currently Principal Investigator for the Long-term Extension of FIT (FLEX), the PTH and Alendronate (PATH) study, the PTH Once Weekly Research (POWR) and the HORIZON PFT trial of IV zoledronic acid. Dr. Black has served on the Council of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and serves on many professional/governmental committees, including the National Osteoporosis Foundation Committee on Simplification of BMD Reporting and the World Health Organization Task Force for Osteoporosis. He has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international professional meetings and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. He is also the author of several book chapters, and currently serves as a reviewer for a number of professional publications, including the The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Britton Chance, PhD, ScD, MD - Dr. Chance has been an inventor and researcher since 1931, when at the age of 18 he obtained patents for an automatic ship steering apparatus using photoelectric cells (subsequently installed on oil tankers). His doctorates in physical chemistry and physiology, combined with his engineering skills as an inventor, led him not only to basic contributions to the biological sciences in fields such as enzyme kinetics, respiration, and mitochondrial function, but to the invention of basic scientific instruments such as the stopped flow apparatus for observations of rapid reactions, the dual-wavelength spectrophotometer, and the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging to humans. Most recently Dr. Chance’s researches have focused on the field of spectroscopy and imaging using near infrared (NIR) light. Beginning with the critical discovery that photons can be used for quantitative determination of the oxygenation state of hemoglobin and myoglobin, NIR spectroscopy and imaging has been applied to the study of function and disease in living and functioning human muscle, brain, breast, and most recently the fetus in utero and the myocardium through the chest wall. Because NIR light is not harmful it is particularly useful for acquiring large amounts of data through repeated tests over short periods of time. Of particular interest to the field of gerontology are the applications of NIR light to brain and muscle (including heart muscle) to diagnose medical issues associated with aging, as well as the rapid and accurate detection of breast cancer. Dr. Chance is Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania and has web pages at the following locations: Read more at:

Paul J. Colombo, PhD, Tulane University - Dr. Colombo is Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Tulane University. He studies neuronal mechanisms of memory formation and age-related memory impairments combining behavioral analysis with molecular-biological methods in animal models. Rat subjects are trained on various spatial learning tasks and then quantitative Western blotting and immunocytochemical methods are used to identify proteins involved during short- and long-term memory formation.

In addition, these methods are used to determine the extent to which alterations of signaling proteins in aged subjects are related to various forms of memory impairments.

Bernie Conway, PhD, Strathclyde University - Dr. Conway's past and present research predominately relates to improving our understanding of the neuronal mechanisms that contribute to the generation and control of movement. The philosophy behind this work is that, through advances in our understanding of the neural basis of movement we will be able to develop more appropriate strategies for improving mobility in people with motor impairments. This work includes studies on normal human volunteers, the elderly and patients with a variety of neurological conditions (spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke and essential tremor). Most of this work is multidisciplinary in nature and involves collaboration with academic and clinical centres within Glasgow and abroad. Current work is focused on the classification of patterns of brain activity during motor behavior with the goal of developing brain computer interfaces for people with severe motor disabilities.

Peter M. Elias, MD, University of California, San Francisco - Dr. Elias is a Staff Physician and Chief, Dermatology Research Unit, VAMC-San Francisco, and head of a multidisciplinary research group, focused on the research subjects listed above. He has ongoing extramural funding from the NIH, the VA, as well as from industry. He is a member (elected), American Society of Clinical Investigation and American Association of Professors; William Montagna Award, Society of Investigative Dermatology (2001); Literature and Maison G. de Navarre Awards, Society for Cosmetic Chemists; Robert Chesebrough Award for Research (1992); Irvin H. Blank Memorial Lecturer, Harvard University (2002); George Odland Lecturer, University of Washington (2003); editorial board of several journals of clinical and investigative dermatology; author of 350 peer-reviewed; 50 chapters/books; and over 400 abstracts.

William J. Evans, PhD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Dr. Evans is the Ed and Jan Warmak Chair of Nutritional Longevity and director of the Nutrition, Metabolism, and Exercise Laboratory in the Donald Reynolds Department of Geriatric at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a research scientist in the Geriatric Rehabilitation, Education, and Clinical Center in the VA Medical Center. He is a Professor of Geriatrics, Physiology, and Nutrition. From 1993 to 1997 he was the director of the Noll Physiological Research Center at the Pennsylvania State University and from 1982 to 1993 he served as the Chief of the Human Physiology Laboratory at the U.S.D.A. Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, The American College of Nutrition, and an honorary member of the American Dietetic Association. He is the author or co-author of more than 190 publications in scientific journals. Much of his research has examined the functional and metabolic consequences of physical activity in elderly people. Along with Irwin Rosenberg, M.D., he is the author of Biomarkers: The Ten Determinants of Aging You Can Control (Simon & Schuster) and has recently authored AstroFit (Simon & Schuster, 2002). His laboratory examines the relationship between exercise, nutrition and aging. His studies have demonstrated the ability of older men and women to improve strength, fitness, and health through exercise, even into the 10th decade of life. Dr. Evans receives grant support from a variety of sources including the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Administration, NASA, and private industry. Ongoing research in the Nutrition, Metabolism, and Exercise Laboratory is examining the effects of bedrest on body composition, muscle metabolism and functional capacity in old men and women, effects of exercise on fatigue in anemic cancer patients, effects of physical activity and diet on insulin action in elderly people, and the etiology of late life dysfunction. Dr. Evans has directed a large laboratory including collaborating scientists for more than 20 years. He has been an associate editor for Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise and Journal of Gerontology and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. He serves as a reviewer for more than 10 journals and has been a reviewer of grants for the American Federation for Aging Research, National Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Veterans Administration.

Richard Faragher, PhD, University of Brighton - Dr. Faragher read Biochemistry at Imperial College, London and following his degree undertook doctoral studies at the University of Sussex. He joined the University of Brighton in 1994. Dr Faragher’s primary research interest is the relationship between replicative senescence and organismal ageing with particular emphasis on the cell biology of Werner’s syndrome. This year he became the first ever scientist to receive a Help the Aged award for his championship of older people and the use of research for their benefit. In 2002, he received the Royal Pharmaceutical Society medal for Outstanding Scientific Achievement for his work on Werner’s syndrome. He is a member of the BBSRC-Experimental Research on Ageing (ERA) special initiative committee, the Research Advisory Council of Research into Ageing and was Treasurer of the British Society for Research on Ageing (1999-2003). Dr Faragher is currently co-director of the SPARC programme, a UK government sponsored initiative designed to build national capacity to conduct inter-disciplinary ageing research. Read more at www.sparc.ac.uk.

Toren Finkel, MD, PhD, NHLBI - Toren Finkel received his undergraduate degree in Physics and his MD and PhD degree from Harvard University. After graduation in 1986, he completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston followed by a Fellowship in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Since 1992 he has been at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda where his current position is Chief of the Cardiovascular Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. His research interests include the role of oxidants as signaling molecules and the biological basis of ageing. In addition, he is involved in clinical efforts to understand the therapeutic benefits of stem cells in cardiovascular disease.

David Gems, PhD, University College London - Dr. Gems is a Reader in the Biology of Ageing, Department of Biology at the University College of London.

A major focus of current work in Dr. Gems' laboratory is understanding the genes and biochemical processes by which reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling and dietary restriction increase lifespan. Other interests include sex differences in the biology of ageing, evolutionary conservation of mechanisms of ageing, and bioethical implications of ageing research.

Barbara A. Gilchrest, MD - Dr. Gilchrest received her bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1967 and graduated cum laude from the Harvard Medical School in 1971. She completed two years of clinical training in internal medicine and three years of dermatology residency, including a one year photobiology fellowship with Drs. Thomas Fitzpatrick and John Parrish, in the Harvard-affiliated hospitals. She concluded her training with a laboratory-based research fellowship at MIT. In 1977 Dr. Gilchrest joined the Department of Dermatology and Division on Aging at the Harvard Medical School, where she established a tissue culture laboratory to study aging and photoaging in human skin, with support from the National Institute on Aging. In 1983 Dr. Gilchrest joined the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, as Chief of the Cutaneous Gerontology Laboratory to continue and expand her work on skin aging/photoaging. In 1985 Dr. Gilchrest was appointed Professor and Chairman of Dermatology at the Boston University School of Medicine and Dermatologist-in-Chief at the Boston Medical Center, where her clinical practice focuses on laser therapy and prevention of skin cancers through sun avoidance and retinoid and photodynamic therapy of severely sun-damaged skin. Dr. Gilchrest's laboratory-based research involves cellular responses to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, the molecular basis of aging, and melanogenesis (pigmentation), particularly UV-induced melanogenesis or tanning. Most recently, her group has focused on the role of telomere-initiated DNA damage responses in intrinsic aging, photoaging and other innate cancer avoidance mechanisms. Recently, she has demonstrated that telomere-homolog oligonucleotides applied topically to skin can induce tanning, enhance DNA repair capacity, reduce photocarcinogenesis, and otherwise mimic these protective responses in the absence of actual DNA damage, a promising and completely novel approach to skin cancer prevention and treatment. She is also co-director of the joint BU/Tufts dermatology residency program and director of an NIH-sponsored post-doctoral research training program. Dr. Gilchrest is the author of over 400 scholarly articles, reviews, abstracts, and textbook chapters; and author or editor of eight books. She is a past President of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, of the Women’s Dermatologic Society, and the Association of Professors of Dermatology. Dr. Gilchrest has also served as a Director of the American Board of Dermatology (1986-96), on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Dermatology (1995-99) as well as the societies listed above; as associate editor or editorial board member of several major clinical and research journals; as an NIH consultant, study section and council member, member of the MIT Corporation, and presently on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Cancer Institute; and as a consultant or scientific advisory board member for large pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology start-up companies. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science.

Geoff Goldspink, PhD, Royal Free and University College Medical School - Professor Goldspink's first degree was in chemistry with courses in biological sciences and then he did a PhD at Trinity College University of Dublin. Ten years after receiving his PhD he was awarded a higher doctorate (ScD) by Trinity College for contributions to the biomedical sciences. After his PhD he took a faculty position in England to establish a Research Unit to study muscle growth and he spent a sabatical year at the University of Pennsylvania as a Fulbright Scholar and as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in 1970. After he returned to England, he became a Professor and later Chairman of the Department. During the time he spent further periods at Universities in the United States including the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Duke University and as a Distinguished Professor at UCLA and a Visiting Agassiz Professor at Harvard University. He then joined the Faculty of the Medical Schools of Tufts University Boston with the objective of strengthening the basic sciences in the Veterinary School and establishing a Musculo-skeletal Research Unit on the Veterinary Campus at Grafton, Massachusetts. After 4 years at Tufts he returned to the UK to up take the Foundation Chair of Veterinary Molecular and Cellular Biology at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. After 5 years he moved to the Medical Faculty and became Head of Anatomy at the Royal Free Campus and Chairman of the Division of Basic Medical Science. His research work in Boston and in London focussed on the molecular regulation of muscle growth and maintenance which is still his major interest. Following the cloning of mechano growth factor which is expressed by normal muscle following resistance exercise he resigned his administrative positions to concentrate on his research. Also as well as research grants his work is now funded by a major pharmaceutical company who are preparing for clinical trials for the treatment of muscle wasting conditions including muscular dystrophy, ALS, muscle cachexia and sarcopenia.

Jörg J. Goronzy, MD, Emory University - Dr. Goronzy, MD, PhD, is the Mason I. Lowance, M.D. Professor of Medicine and Director of the Kathleen B. and Mason I. Lowance Center for Human Immunology in the Department of Medicine at Emory University. From 1990 to 2003, Dr. Goronzy was on the faculty of the Mayo Medical and Graduate School, where he was Professor of Medicine and Immunology and Director of the Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapeutics Program in the Department of Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Aachen, a doctoral degree in medicine from the University of Bonn in 1979, and a doctoral degree in medical sciences from the University of Heidelberg in 1988. He did a residency in internal medicine at Hannover Medical School in Germany and a fellowship in clinical immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University. Dr. Goronzy is a leading researcher in the field of human immunology. His research has focused on molecular pathways regulating the function of T lymphocytes in protective and pathologic immune responses. Dr. Goronzy’s work on how humans generate, select and maintain immunocompetent cells over the course of a lifetime has led to insights into mechanisms of immune aging, the effect of aging on autoimmunity, and the ability to generate protective immune responses. He is author or coauthor of over two hundred publications. Among his awards are the Henry Kunkel Young Investigator Award from the American College of Rheumatology and the Department of Medicine Outstanding Investigator Award from the Mayo Foundation. He is an elected member of the American Association of Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Leonard P. Guarente, PhD, MIT - Leonard Guarente formerly studied gene regulation in eukaryotes. In these early studies, his lab first purified the TATA-binding protein TBP and cloned the gene, discovered UASs, identified the first heteromeric transcription factor (HAP2/3/4/5), and provided the first evidence for coactivators. He then turned his studies to the mechanism of aging and its regulation using yeast and subsequently higher organisms. His lab identified SIR2 as the key gene regulating life span in yeast and C. elegans – an extra copy of SIR2 significantly increases the life span of both organisms. Notably, his lab first discovered the novel biochemical activity of the SIR2 gene product – NAD-dependent deacetylase. This activity suggested that SIR2 might be involved in linking diet to the regulation of aging, addressing the longstanding question of how calorie restriction (CR) might slow aging. His lab established a system of studying CR in yeast and showed that CR extended the life span in yeast mother cells by activating SIR2. This activation requires up-regulation of electron transport, which increases the NAD/NADH ratio and activates Sir2p. More recently, his lab has made several findings regarding the mammalian ortholog of SIR2, Sirt1. This protein is also an NAD-dependent deacetylase. Importantly, it controls several physiological processes impacted by CR. First, Sirt1 renders cells stress resistant by inhibiting pro-apoptotic transcription factors p53 and forkhead. Second, Sirt1 also promotes the mobilization of fat from white adipocytes upon food limitation. It does this by inhibiting the factor PPARg, which is important promoting fat storage in white adipocytes. Dr. Guarente’s findings show that the life and health extension by CR are not passive events, but result from the activation of Sirt1, which then impacts on cellular and organismal processes to deliver the benefits.

Dr. Guarente received his B. S. from MIT and his Ph. D. at Harvard, under the supervision of Jon Beckwith. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard with Mark Ptashne and has been on the faculty of MIT since 1981, where he is the Novartis Professor of Biology. His book Ageless Quest (Cold Spring Harbor Press, 2003) describes the pathway of discovery of SIR2 as a key regulator of life span in response to diet. Read more: http://web.mit.edu/biology/guarente/

Tamara B. Harris, MD - National Institute on Aging - Dr. Harris received her M.D. degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York in 1978. She trained in internal medicine at Montefiore Hospital, Bronx, New York and in geriatric medicine at Harvard University, Division on Aging, where she was a Kaiser Fellow in Geriatric Medicine. She also obtained a M.S. in Epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health and has a M.S. in Human Nutrition from Columbia University College of Physician's and Surgeons. From Harvard, she joined the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology at the National Center for Health Statistics. Dr. Harris moved to the National Institute on Aging in 1991, where she is Chief of the Geriatric Epidemiology Section. Research Interests: The role of the Geriatric Epidemiology Section is to integrate molecular and genetic epidemiology with interdisciplinary studies of functional outcomes, disease endpoints and mortality in older persons. This includes identification of novel risk factors and design of studies involving biomarkers, selected polymorphisms and exploration of gene/environment interactions. The Section has been particularly active in devising methods to integrate promising molecular or imaging techniques in ways that begin to explore the physiology underlying epidemiologic associations including adaptation of imaging protocols to epidemiologic studies.

Laura Haynes, PhD, Trudeau Institute - Dr. Haynes is an Associate Member at Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake, NY. She has been working in the field of aging and immunity since 1994. Her work is focused on how aging influences the function of CD4 T cells and how this impacts the efficacy of vaccines in the elderly. She and her collaborator, Dr. Susan Swain, pioneered the use of T cell receptor transgenic mice in the study of the effects of aging on immune function. The model that they developed allowed for the direct examination of antigen-specific naive CD4 T cells from young and aged animals both in vitro and in vivo. Dr. Haynes found that even in a young environment, CD4 T cells from aged donors exhibit poor cognate function leading to reduced humoral responses. In contrast, CD4 T cells from young donors exhibit potent cognate function in aged hosts. Thus, aging has a dramatic impact on the cognate function of naive CD4 T cells which can influence the response to both new pathogens and new vaccinations in aged individuals.

Stephen L. Helfand, MD, Brown University - Dr. Helfand received his BS at Stanford University where he worked with Dr. Norman K. Wessells and discovered the neuronal growth factor Ciliary NeuroTrophic Factor. Dr. Helfand obtained his MD degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, completed his Medical Internship at Montefiore Medical Center and his Neurology Residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He is Board Certified in Neurology. After Postdoctoral training with Drs. Corey Goodman and David Hogness at Stanford and Drs. John Carlson and Doug Kankel at Yale he took a position at the University of Connecticut Health Center where he worked from 1990 to 2005. In 2005 he moved to Brown University where he is Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry in the Division of Biology and Medicine. His laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying aging and longevity using the model system, Drosophila melanogaster. Dr. Helfand is an Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar and recipient of a MERIT award from the National Institute on Aging.

Research Description/Clinical Interests - Molecular genetics of aging and longevity. Our research has focused on understanding the molecular, cellular and genetic mechanisms underlying the process of aging and the determination of life span using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system. Determining the molecular genetic underpinnings of the process of aging promises to be one of the next great frontiers in biomedical science. Despite our understanding of many of the intricacies of how a single fertilized egg develops into a mature individual, up until recently, we knew very little about the mechanisms by which we age- a subject of great scientific interest for several millennia. We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the development, maturation, and aging of adult animals using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system. In our laboratory we make use of a combination of molecular, genetic, cellular, neurobiological, pharmacological, immunological, and behavioral approaches to understand the process of aging and how life span is determined. By combining the powerful molecular genetic techniques available in the Drosophila melanogaster with knowledge of the fly's physiology, anatomy, behavior, and life span altering interventions we have helped develop an unparalleled model for studying the molecular genetic elements of aging.

Siegfried Hekimi, PhD, McGill University - Dr. Hekimi took his undergraduate degree and his PhD in Biology at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He then stayed as a fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, England, where he started his studies with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In 1992 he started his own laboratory in the department of Biology at McGill University in Montréal where he Strathcona Professor of Zoology. His research has mostly focused on the biology of clk genes, a class of genes that affect the rate of living as well as life span. Professor Hekimi now also uses mice and cultured vertebrate cells to further investigate clk genes. He has also been involved in the creation of a biotechnology company, Chronogen, which focuses on developing drugs in the area of oxidative stress-dependent diseases.

Sian Henson, PhD, Imperial College, UK - Dr Henson is a research fellow in the Department of Immunology and Molecular Pathology at UCL, London. After obtaining a first class honours degree from Southampton University in Biochemistry in 1997 she went on to complete a PhD in Biochemistry at Imperial College. Her post doctoral work centred around the reversal of thymic atrophy, which is a key event that leads to the inefficient functioning of the immune system with age, and in particular the use of IL-7 as an immunorestorative agent. This work lead to the patenting of a number of novel IL-7 fusion proteins that have the ability to boost de novo T cell generation by the thymus. Dr Henson’s current research interest is the role played by inhibitory receptors during aging. Dr Henson is an Executive Member of the British Society for Research on Ageing and is funded by a Research into Ageing Fellowship.

John O. Holloszy, MD, Washington, University School of Medicine - Dr. Holloszy obtained his M.D. and postdoctoral training in Endocrinology/Metabolism and Biochemistry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and has been on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine since 1965, where he is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Sciences and Director of the Section of Applied Physiology. He was chief of the Division of Geriatrics, which he founded, until 2002. His research deals with the maintenance of health and functional capacity in middle- and old-age, with particular emphasis on the effects of exercise and nutrition/caloric restriction. He is the author of more than 350 papers and has trained 86 postdoctoral research fellows, many of whom are in academic/research positions in the U.S., Europe and Asia. news-info.wustl.edu/sb/page/normal/607.html

Donald Ingram, PhD, National Institute on Aging - Dr. Ingram was trained in psychology and gerontology at the University of Georgia where he received his Ph.D. in 1978. From 1978-79 he served as a National Institute of Mental Health-supported postdoctoral fellow in behavior genetics at the Jackson Laboratory. He came to the NIA in 1980 as a Staff Fellow in the Laboratory of Behavioral Sciences and then moved to the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology in a tenured position in 1985. He was appointed as Chief of the Behavioral Neuroscience Section in 2000 when he joined the Laboratory of Neurosciences. In 2002 he was appointed Acting Chief of the newly created Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology (LEG). The LEG conducts basic research in experimental models focused on interventions that retard aging processes. Dr. Ingram serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Neurobiology of Aging, Experimental Aging Research, Rejuvenation Research, and CNS Drug Reviews, and he is an editor for Gerontology and Editor-in-Chief of AGE, The Journal of the American Aging Association. He has also served in numerous positions within the Biology Section of the Gerontological Society of America, and he is a past president of the American Aging Association as well as the 2003 recipient of the Harman Research Award from the Association.

Sewon Kang, MD, University of Michigan School of Medicine - Dr. Kang is Professor and Director of the Clinical Pharmacology Unit of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He graduated with honors from Williams College (B.A.) and the University of Michigan (M.D., M.P.H.) and completed his dermatology residency and fellowship at the Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Kang is a recipient of the Dermatology Foundation Clinical Career Development Award, and has received other research awards and grants from the American Dermatological Association, the National Psoriasis Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (RO1, T32 and K24). Internationally noted for his work in the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of photoaging, Dr. Kang's expertise extends to the therapeutic uses of retinoids in the treatment of acne and psoriasis, and the use of phototherapy in the treatment of scleroderma.

Ian R. Kill, PhD, Brunel University - Dr. Kill is a Senior Lecturer in Human Cell Biology in the Biosciences Division of the School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Brunel University, West London. He is Director of the Centre for Cell and Chromosome Biology and Head of Research for Biosciences. Dr. Kill obtained his D. Phil from Sussex University in 1999 then spent 7 years at the University of Dundee as a Post-Doctoral Fellow before taking up his appointment at Brunel University. Dr. Kill is interested in the relationship between cellular ageing and organismal ageing. His current research includes an investigation into the cell biology of Hutchinson Guilford Progeria Syndrome and the reconstruction of young and aged skin in vitro. Most recently, Dr Kill has initiated a new study into gender-specific differences in lifespan using a strain of killifish with a 12 week lifespan, one of nature’s shortest-lived vertebrates.

Robert Klein, MD, Oregon Health & Science University - Dr. Klein is Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition at the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Oregon. Dr. Klein completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California at Berkeley in Chemistry and his MD from the University of California at San Francisco. Currently, Dr. Klein is the Director for the Endocrinology and Metabolism Fellowship Training Program at OHSU. Other appointments include Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division Endocrinology, Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition and Staff Physician at the Portland VA Medical Center. Research projects include Genetic Analysis of Bone Mass in Mice, Genetic Analysis of Skeletal Geometry in Mice and an Institutional Endocrinology Training Grant to help support postdoctoral training in endocrinology and metabolism.

Chris Leeuwenburgh, PhD, University of Florida - Christiaan Leeuwenburgh received his PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne in 1995 where his doctoral work focused on the biochemistry of glutathione regulation. He completed postdoctoral studies in Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology and Division of Atherosclerosis, Nutrition and Lipid Research at Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis where his focus was on the chemistry and biochemistry of atherosclerosis and biology of aging. Dr. Leeuwenburgh major research focus is to understand the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and apoptosis with age. The mechanisms by which apoptosis are induced with advancing age and adaptations that may protect against apoptosis remain to be identified and are under investigation. His laboratories utilize several animal models of aging (transgenic, calorie restriction and exercise). Moreover, he is conducting research on the role of apoptosis in the loss of human skeletal muscle with age. Specifically he is investigating apoptosis and the signaling transduction pathways responsible for apoptosis in human skeletal muscle of frail and age-matched controls. He has participated in NIH workshops focused on the biology of aging and geriatric research of the National Institute on Aging. He has published in Science, FASEB Journal, The Journal of Biological Chemistry and The American Journal of Physiology. He became an Assistant Professor in 1998 at the University of Florida and the Director of the Biochemistry of Aging Laboratory. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002 and he has recently (2005) joined the newly created Department of Aging and Geriatric Medicine and The Institute on Aging within the College of Medicine. He is also the Chief of the Division of Career Development Mentoring and Education for the Department and Institute on Aging. Among his honors, Dr. Leeuwenburgh received the prestigious Nathan Shock Award from the National Institute on Aging in 2004, the Merck Geriatric Cardiology Research Award from the Society of Geriatric Cardiology in 1999; the National Research Service Award of the NIH from the National Institute on Aging in 1997; The Young Investigator Award from the Oxygen Society in 1996; and held an American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship from the Illinois Affiliate from 1993 through 1995. His work on discovering mechanisms of mitochondrial function, oxidative damage and apoptosis with age has been increasingly recognized and appreciated by gerontologists worldwide.

Anne McArdle, PhD, University of Liverpool - Dr. McArdle is a Reader in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Liverpool, UK. Dr McArdle is interested in the basic processes by which cells respond and adapt to stress and damage, and in particular, the role that the age-related failure in the stress response plays in the increased susceptibility of aged muscle to damage and poor recovery from that damage. Anne is an Executive Member of the British Society for Research on Ageing and Editor of the BSRA journal, Lifespan. Anne was previously funded by a Research into Ageing-funded Fellowship and currently holds a Programme Grant from Research into Ageing to study the basic mechanisms of failure of the stress response in skeletal muscle. Anne is also funded by Medical Research Council and BBSRC and is part of a multi-centre NIA – funded study with Professor Faulkner (Michigan), Professor Jackson (Liverpool), Professor Richardson and Dr van Remmen (San Antonio) and Dr Csete (Atlanta) where her role is to examine the effect of aberrant ROS production on the ability of muscles to produce stress proteins.

Janet McElhaney, MD, University of Connecticut Health Center - Dr. McElhaney, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Medicine and is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. Her research has focused on the development of assays that measure T-cell responses to influenza vaccination and correlate with protection against influenza in older adults. Ultimately, these assays may be applied to screen new vaccines for improved efficacy and identifying other vaccine preventable diseases in older adults. This research program has been funded by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG20634) and currently by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI68265).

Mohsen Meydani, DVM, PhD JMUSDA-HNRCA at Tufts University - Dr. Meydani holds a PhD in nutrition from Iowa State University, and a DVM from Tehran University. Currently, Dr. Meydani is Professor, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Director, Vascular Biology Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA HNRCA at Tufts. His research focus is on the role of dietary antioxidants, lipids and oxidative stress on molecular mechanisms of immune/endothelial cells interaction in atherogenesis and angiogenesis.

Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University - Janko Nikolich-Zugich received his M.D. from Belgrade University Medical School in 1984. He later received an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Immunology from the same University. Dr. Nikolich-Zugich worked from 1987 to 1990 as a Research Associate at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. In 1990, he joined the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York as the Head of both the Flow Cytometry Core Facility and the Laboratory of T Cell Development. He served as an Assistant Professor (1990-1996) and an Associate Professor (1996-2001) at both the Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Division of Molecular Medicine in Cornell University School of Medicine. He was recipient of the Pew Biomedical Scholar Award and the Louise and Allston Boyer Young Scientist Award. Dr. Nikolich-Zugich is currently a Senior Scientist at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and holds joint appointments as a Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and a Senior Scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center.

Dr. Nikolich studies the relationship between immunity and pathogens over the lifespan of the organism, with a specific emphasis upon the age-related defects in immunity and defects in homeostasis of the immune system. Diagnosis of the most critical, primary defects in innate and adaptive immunity of the old age is being followed by studies to repair or modulate those defects by immune intervention as well as by tailored, rational vaccine design. Many of those studies are pursued by vertical model integration - using broad and fundamental studies in rodents to crystallize questions to be asked and verified in non-human primates, leading to final and most relevant studies in humans. Dr. Nikolich has been continuously supported by the NIA for the last eight years, including two program project awards on which he has leading roles. He regularly serves on the NIA workshop and review panels, and was recruited to the NIH Cellular and Molecular Immunology B study section (permanent member since 2004) largely due to his dual expertise in aging and infectious immunity. He is frequently invited to present individual lectures and conference talks on aging, infection and immunity, and is one of the organizers of the upcoming International Symposium on Immunity and Aging in Paris in September 2006. www.ohsu.edu/vgti/nikolich.htm

Jose Ordovas, PhD, JMUSDA-HNRCA at Tufts University - Dr. Ordovas holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Zaragoza, Spain. Currently, Dr. Ordovas is Professor, Nutrition and Genetics and Director, Cell and Molecular Nutrition Program, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

His research focus is on molecular biology, nutrition and genetics; and lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease risk.

Eric Ravussin, PhD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center - Dr. Ravussin is recognized internationally as a clinical investigator in the field of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. His research now focuses on the genetic and molecular basis of obesity and its co-morbidities. His studies are aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms that determine the inter-individual variability in energy expenditure, fat oxidation and in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. He also concentrates on the relationship between physiology and gene expression in response to diet and physical training.

Susan B. Roberts, PhD, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Res. Ctr. - Dr Susan Roberts is an international expert in energy regulation and obesity. Her lab is investigating the effects of different dietary compositions on voluntary energy intake and the ability to consume weight both when diets are provided and when dietary prescriptions are recommended. The underlying mechanisms for why different diets allow for different rates of weight loss (mediated by differences in hunger, satiety, palatabiliyt, energy expenditure, etc, and underlying metabolic mechanisms) are being explored. In addition, Dr Roberts' lab studies the energy dysregulation of old age, specifically quantifyfing loss of energy intake and energy expenditure mechanisms, and their practical implications. She has published over 200 research articles including in medical journals such as the New England J of Medicine, JAMA and The Lancet, and sits on national and international committees setting dietary recommendations.

Robert Saunders, PhD, The Open University - Dr Saunders received his first degree in Genetics from the University of Edinburgh (1982). His PhD, on female sterile mutants of Drosophila, was taken in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Edinburgh (1986). Since that time his research interests have focussed on the cell cycle (1986-1994), genome analysis (1989-2001) and the relationship between oxidative stress and ageing (1999 to date). These projects have all used Drosophila as a model system. From 1994 to 1999, he held a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship, investigating chromosome inversions in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Dr Saunders is a member of the BBSRC Genes and Developmental Biology Panel, and a member of the MRC College of Experts. Read more at: http://www.open.ac.uk/personalpages/r.d.saunders/index.html

Roger Smith, VetMB, PhD, DEO, DipECVS, MRCVS, Royal Veterinary College - Dr. Smith is currently Professor of Equine Orthopaedics at the Royal Veterinary College. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University in 1987 and, after 2 years in practice, returned to academia to undertake further clinical training as a Resident in Equine Studies at the Royal Veterinary College. Following his residency, he undertook a 3 year research project culminating in the award of a PhD for his studies on the extracellular matrix of equine tendon. He remained at the Royal Veterinary College, first as a Lecturer in Equine Surgery, then as Senior Lecturer in Equine Surgery before his appointment to a Professorship in December 2003. He holds the Diploma of Equine Orthopaedics from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and is both a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons and a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Specialist in Equine Surgery. He currently divides his time equally between running a specialist orthopaedic service within the Royal Veterinary College and continuing to direct research into equine tendon disease. His main area of research is understanding the mechanisms of tendon ageing but also has projects investigating the epidemiology of tendon disease in the horse, the development of a serological assay for tendonitis, and stem cell therapy for tendons in conjunction with a commercial company, VetCell Bioscience Ltd.

Rajindar S. Sohal, PhD, University of Southern California - Dr. Sohal received his Ph.D. degree in biology from Tulane University. He is currently the Timothy M. Chan Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He was previously a University Distinguished Professor at Southern Methodist University, Dallas. His primary research interest is the elucidation of the role of oxidative stress in the aging process. The current focus of his research, in collaboration with Professor William C. Orr, is to determine whether the enhancement of antioxidant defenses or a decrease in the rate of generation of ROS in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster result in the retardation of the aging process. He is a recipient of Irwing S. Wright Award of Distinction by the American Federation for Aging Research, Lifetime Research Achievement Award by the American Aging Association, and an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree by Linkoping University in Sweden.

Stephen R. Spindler, PhD, University of California, Riverside - Stephen R. Spindler, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Biochemistry Department of the University of California, Riverside. He has been a member of the Biochemistry Department at University of California Riverside since 1981, and is a former chair of the department.

Dr. Spindler studies the role of diet and insulin/insulin-like growth factor I signaling on longevity and cancer.

Connie M. Weaver, PhD, Purdue University - Dr. Weaver is Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Foods & Nutrition at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. In 2000, she also became Director of a National Institutes of Health funded Botanical Center to study dietary supplements containing polyphenolics for age-related diseases. Her research interests include mineral bioavailability, calcium metabolism, and bone health. She was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board Panel to develop new recommendations for requirements for calcium and related minerals. Dr. Weaver is past-president of American Society for Nutritional Sciences and is on the Board of Trustees of the International Life Sciences Institute. For her contributions in teaching, Dr. Weaver was awarded Purdue University's Outstanding Teaching Award. In 1993, she was honored with the Purdue University Health Promotion Award for Women, and in 1997, she received the Institute of Food Technologists Babcock Hart Award. In April 2003, she received the USDA A.O. Atwater Lecture Award at the annual Experimental Biology meeting. Dr. Weaver was appointed to the 2005 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. She has published over 170 research articles. Dr. Weaver received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in food science and human nutrition from Oregon State University. She received a Ph.D. in food science and human nutrition from Florida State University and holds minors in chemistry and plant physiology.

Richard Weindruch, PhD is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin and an investigator with the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the VA Hospital in Madison. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Biology at the University of Illinois (Urbana) and his Ph.D. (1978) in Experimental Pathology at UCLA under the direction of Dr. Roy L. Walford. For more than 30 years, he has studied caloric restriction, which is known to slow the aging process in experimental animals. He is the author of two books, over 100 peer-reviewed research reports, and 65 review articles and conference reports. He has received several awards for his research including the Gerontological Society of America's Kleemeir Award (1998), the Glenn Foundation Award (2000) and the National Institute on Aging's Nathan Shock Award (2000). From 1994-1999 he served as Chairman of NIH's Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine Study Section.

Norman Wolf, DVM, PhD, University of Washington - Dr. Norm Wolf's background first in veterinary laboratory animal medicine and additionally in basic cellular physiology has provided him with and understanding of both the physiologies and the pathologies of the several laboratory animal species used in his research. His research deals with the age-related loss of cell and tissue function with aging, and uses both in vivo and in vitro techniques to reach that goal. His recent studies are directed toward the physiopathology of the lens and the conditions that lead to, and the specific mechanisms that produce age-related cataract (ARC). At present his laboratory has demonstrated the abnormal migration of lens epithelial cells and the incomplete differentiation of lens fiber cells in the aged mouse and rat, with ongoing studies to determine whether these events apply also to non-human and human primates. The incomplete resolving of the organelles (nucleus, mitochondria and membranes) by the internalizing and differentiating lens fiber cells result in an accumulation of nuclear and mitochondrial debris and reactive oxygen species at the site of cortical/subcapsular cataract in old animals. The relationship of available antioxidant enzymes and DNA repair protein functions, as well as the lysosomal and proteosome clearance of this residual debris, are suspect in the old cataract-bearing animal and are under investigation. Animal models with increased or decreased antioxidant protection for lens cells comprise promising subjects to discern the role of ROS in the development of ARC and continue to be studied. The role of ARC as a biomarker of global aging in the body is an additional goal.

Mina Yaar, MD, Boston University School of Medicine - Dr. Yaar graduated from the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in 1978. She completed three years of laboratory based research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda MD., and three years of clinical training in the combined Dermatologic Residency Program of Boston University/Tufts University in Boston, MA. In 1984 Dr. Yaar joined the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, as a Research Associate in the Cutaneous Gerontology Laboratory and set off her work on skin aging/photoaging. In 1991 Dr. Yaar Joined the Department of Dermatology at the Boston University School of Medicine and in 1995 became a Professor of Dermatology. Dr. Yaar’s laboratory based research involves cellular responses to ultraviolet irradiation, the molecular basis of aging/photoaging and DNA damage responses in skin derived cells. Dr. Yaar serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Investigative Dermatology and the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery.