Penn Researchers Find Yeast May Hold Clue to Aging

The single-celled microbes known as yeasts have long served as model systems for the puzzle that is the aging process, and in this week’s issue of Cell Metabolism, they fill in yet another piece.

The study, led by Daniel S. Och University Professor Shelley Berger, identifies a new molecular circuit that controls longevity in yeast and more complex organisms and suggests a therapeutic intervention that could mimic the lifespan-enhancing effect of caloric restriction with no dietary restrictions necessary.  Berger is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor who holds dual appointments in the Department of Biology in Penn Arts and Sciences and the Departments of Genetics and Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine.

The study involved researchers at Penn, the Wistar Institute, the University of Washington, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and the University Medical Center Utrecht. 

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Ellison Medical Foundation.

Read the full story here.

Arts & Sciences News

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