Cynthia J Kenyon

..This life-extension pathway, the first to be defined, was discovered through genetic studies in the small roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. This discovery is described here...

..Mice that have been genetically modified to produce high levels of fibroblast growth factor-21 live longer than mice with normal levels of this hormone...

..Which genes can extend lifespan? Can we augment their activities and live even longer? After centuries of wistful poetry and wild imagination, we are now getting answers, often unexpected ones, to these fundamental questions...

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..Together these studies should help to define the molecular mechanisms that regulate and execute these migrations. ..

..Understanding this pathway in detail will ultimately answer the two most important questions in the aging field: how the aging process itself takes place, and how it can be regulated by endocrine signaling. ..

..In addition, our findings may yield insights into the ways that stem cells can influence endocrine signaling in vertebrates. ..

..This study, which takes place within a single, genetically-tractable, species, provides a fantastic opportunity to identify mechanisms that can produce extreme differences in lifespan ..

..We propose to learn how signals from the reproductive system influence lifespan, in hopes of finding new ways to increase youthfulness and health, and to combat age-related disease, in humans. ..

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..This study, which takes place within a single, genetically-tractable, species, provides a fantastic opportunity to identify mechanisms that can produce extreme differences in lifespan ..