The U.S. population is older than ever, with unprecedented and accelerating growth beyond age 65.
With age comes the greater likelihood of age-related diseases. Six in 10 American adults have a chronic disease; 4 in 10 have two or more. The prevalence of chronic diseases mirrors the aging of America, with cases multiplying in everything from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease that is expected to triple worldwide by 2050 to exceed 150 million individuals.
Director’s Statement
“Our mission is to gain a fundamental and therapeutically actionable understanding of aging-related diseases through molecular and systems-based approaches that can lead to novel treatments and improved quality of life.”
Proteins are necessary to the construction, function and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. But when a protein doesn’t have the correct shape and is ‘misfolded’, it can cause great harm. In fact, every degenerative disease is associated with misfolded proteins. We are unraveling their secrets.
Aging is inevitable, but how it happens can be optimized. By parsing how biological processes change over time and under different conditions, we reveal how aging affects disease and how development and regeneration can be modified and improved to promote healthy aging.
Our genes play critical, but often unseen or poorly understood roles, in our risk for certain diseases and in our general well being. We dig for the genetic roots of human health disorders, translating that unearthed knowledge into tangible treatments.
Jun 4, 2025
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