Science 101: Aging

Aging is not a disease. It cannot be prevented, stopped or reversed.

It is driven, fundamentally, by the inexorable biology of senescence, which dictates that each multicellular organism, using energy from the sun, is able to develop and maintain its identity for only so long. Then deterioration prevails over synthesis, and the organism ages. Entropy always wins.

But there is much we can learn about the aging process, and how it might be tweaked, modified or repaired to extend healthy lifespans. These efforts range from longitudinal studies of the extremely old, their lifestyles, diets and behaviors to understanding basic cellular mechanisms.

Aging

Research at Sanford Burnham Prebys

May 1, 2026
Anne Bang joins $13M research project on age-related RNA pollution and brain degeneration
The project’s San Diego-based research team is funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
May 1, 2026
Mar 25, 2026
Scientists discover new genetic disease that causes premature aging and cognitive deficits
Study from Zhang lab implicates a surprising gene, shows how its mutation affects cells and identifies a potential treatment.
Mar 25, 2026
Mar 16, 2026
Computational model measures key aging metric from routine biopsies
Study from the Sinha lab demonstrates a new method for quickly and cheaply predicting telomere length, enables larger experiments.
Mar 16, 2026
Dec 5, 2025
Protein puppeteer pulls muscle stem cells’ strings
Study from the Sacco lab links the tenascin-C protein to muscle stem cell levels and muscle regeneration, may lead to…
Dec 5, 2025
Mar 14, 2025
Cellular circuit controls how DNA damage is repaired, affecting risk of disease as we age
Study reveals new information about how to prevent chronic inflammation from zombie-like cells that accumulate with age.
Mar 14, 2025
Aug 22, 2024
The secret to sleepy cells’ control of inflammatory secretions
Scientists have described a new connection between inflammation linked to aging and a protein involved in storing DNA.
Aug 22, 2024
Jul 11, 2024
Caroline Kumsta awarded $2.9M to study how short-term stress improves health and life expectancy
By learning how small amounts of stress activate autophagy, researchers may create new approaches to combat age-related disease
Jul 11, 2024
Feb 13, 2024
With the help of naked mole rats, Xiao Tian seeks to expose and explain the epigenetic drivers of aging
Getting older is inevitable, but aging may be optional, or at least a treatable condition. Increasingly, researchers are parsing the…
Feb 13, 2024
Jan 3, 2024
New roles for autophagy genes in cellular waste management and aging
Autophagy genes help extrude protein aggregates from neurons in the nematode C. elegans.
Jan 3, 2024
Oct 11, 2023
Inhibiting an enzyme associated with aging could help damaged nerves regrow and restore strength
New research has demonstrated a way to accelerate recovery from peripheral nerve injury by targeting an enzyme that was thought…
Oct 11, 2023
Jul 21, 2023
José Luis Millán joins international initiative to study calcification in aging
José Luis Millán, PhD, has joined a five-year, $13 million program that will study misplaced calcification in the eyes and…
Jul 21, 2023
Feb 18, 2020
A deep dive into cellular aging
Discovery could lead to treatments that promote healthy aging or prevent age-associated diseases.
Feb 18, 2020