Invited speakers

 

	Andrzej Bartke PhD, Professor and Director of Geriatric Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Dr. Bartke reported the first evidence that mutation of a single gene can significantly extend lifespan in a mammal, and have extensively characterized the phenotype of long-lived Ames dwarf mice, identifying several mechanisms that are likely to explain or contribute to their delayed aging and greatly prolonged longevity. Andrzej Bartke was able to dounble the lifespan of a mouse.
	Valter Longo X PhD, Professor, University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology Dr. Longo was able to increase yeast lifespan 10-fold. He is interested in identifying the molecular pathways conserved from simple organisms to humans that can be modulated to protect against multiple stresses and delay or prevent Alzheimer's Disease and other diseases of aging.
	Robert Shmookler Reis PhD, Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Research of Dr. Reis focuses on the molecular genetics of longevity and age-associated diseases, using both previously defined mutations and gene mapping. He managed to extend the lifespan of a nematode worm, C.elegans, 10-fold by only one mutation in the age-1 gene.
	Kyung-Jin Min PhD, Professor, Inha University Dr. Min is interested in investigating interventions capable of extensing lifespan in fruit flies, his current work is focused on the infuence of hormesis on longevity and the genetic mechanisms of the impact.
	Suresh Rattan PhD, Professor, Aarchus University Dr. Rattan studies molecular biology of human cellular aging with a strong focus on hormesis, the beneficial effect of mild stress, and its agent, hormetins. Suresh Rattan is the editor-in-chief of the Biogerontology journal.
	Blanka Rogina PhD, Associate Professot, University of Connecticut Health Center The primary interest of Dr. Rogina’s research is the investigation of the basic biology of aging, including the molecular genetic determinants of aging and longevity. Over the past few years, her work has concentrated on understanding some of the mechanisms that regulate gene expression during adult life in Drosophila melanogaster. Dr. Rogina was able to double the median lifespan of drosophila.
	Nir Barzilai PhD, Professor, Director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Main research areas of Dr. Barzilai are genetics and metabolism of aging. He studies longevity genes among the centenarians. Dr. Barzilai argues that aging itself needes to be classed as a disease, in order to stimulate investment in drugs which delayed a range of age-related diseases.
	Vladimir Anisimov MD, Professor, N.N.Petrov Research Institute of Oncology, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences Dr. Anisimov’s research interests lie withing the areas of aging and cancer. He is focused on identification of ways of how to extend lifespan and reduce cancer incidence using various compounds, geroprotectors. Vladimir Anisimov is the Head of the Russian Gerontological Society
	Vadim Fraifeld MD, PhD, Professor, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Vadim Fraifeld is conducting research in the area of Systems Biology. He is the leader of the NetAge project, a database and network analysis tools for studying genes involved in regulating aging processes.
	David Gems PhD, Reader in the Biology of aging at the University College 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 aging, evolutionary conservation of mechanisms of aging, and bioethical implications of aging research.
	Andrei Seluanov PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Rochester Andrei Seluanov’s research focus is on understanding the mechanisms of longevity and cancer resistance in particular in long-lived species like the naked mole rat.
	Jan Vijg PhD, Professor, Chair of Department of Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Dr. Vijg is studying genome and epigenome instability as a function of age in various model organisms, including mouse and fruit fly, and its consequences in terms of alterations in tissue-specific patterns of gene regulation.
	Anatoli Yashin PhD, Professor and Scientific Director of the Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University Dr. Yashin is developing mathematical and statistical methods of analysis of genetic and non-genetic data on aging, health, and survival using data collected in various longitudinal human studies. His major research interest is in understanding mechanisms regulating rates of physiological aging changes, age-associated health decline, and longevity, with emphases on complex connections between these traits, on interacting genetic and non-genetic factors in longevity and age-associated diseases, and on polygenic effects on health and survival.
	Judith Campisi PhD, Professor, Buck Insutute for Research on Aging Judith Campisi makes significant contributions to understanding why aging is the largest single risk factor for developing cancer. She is widely recognized for her work on senescent cells, older cells that have stopped dividing, and their influence on aging and cancer.
	Claudio Franceschi MD, Professor, University of Bologna Dr. Franceschi’s lab is pioneering the field of genetics in extreme longevity by introducing the experimental model of centenarian individuals, the best living example of "successful aging". The main lines of research pursued in the lab regard the phenomena of aging and longevity, studied from different point of view.
	Thomas Perls MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Boston University Medical Center Dr. Perls is the founder and director of the New England Centenarian Study, the largest study of centenarians in the world. A significant portion of the study is devoted to understanding why centenarians delay or escape Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders.
	Vladislav Baranov MD, Professor, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetris and Gynecology Vladislav Baranov is conducting rsearch in the area of prenatal diagnostics of various genetic disorders and is developing patient genetic passports.
	Richard Morimoto PhD, Professor, Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Dr. Morimoto is interested in the fundamental events that underlie the appearance of misfolded proteins and their consequence to protein homeostasis, cellular function, and organismal adaptation and survival.
	Nektarios Tavernarakis PhD, FORTH Insitute of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Crete Dr. Tavernarakis is studying decrease in protein turnover, which is associated with senescent decline and aging. His investigation focuses on the determination of the mutable steps of protein synthesis and degradation that can be altered to affect longevity, aiming to provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of aging and cell survival.
	Mikhail Blagosklonny Md, PhD, Professor of Oncology, Member, Roswell Park Cancer Institute Mikhail Blagosklonny’s esearch interests range from molecular and cellular biology to clinical investigations and specifically include oncogenes and tumor suppressors, signal transduction, cell cycle, mitosis, apoptosis, anticancer therapeutics with emphasis on translation of basic science into new anticancer strategies such as exploiting cancer cell cycling and drug resistance for selective protection of normal cells. Dr. Blagosklonny is the editor-in-chief of the Cell Cycle and Aging journals.
	Vera Gorbunova PhD, Associate Professor, University of Rochester Dr. Gorbunova is studying age-related changes in repair of DNA double-strand breaks using human cells and transgenic mice. She is using comparative approach to study aging by analyzing short- and long-lived animal species. Since aging is associated with increased cancer incidence, Gorbunova’s lab is studying DNA repair in breast cancer cells, and anti-cancer mechanisms in short- and long-lived rodents.
	Alexey Moskalev PhD, DSci, Professor, Institute of Biology Komi Science Center of Ural Division of RAS Dr. Moskalev is investigating genetics of aging and longevity with a focus on stress resistance genes and radioadaptive response. Alexei Moskalev was able to significantly extend the lifespan of drosophila by causing one mutation in the DNA repair gene.
	Brian Kraemer PhD, Research Assistant Professor, University of Washinton Dr. Kraemer’s research explores how protein aggregation contributes to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Kraemer’s current work focuses on dissecting the genetic requirements for tau mediated neurodegeneration.
	Holly Brown-Borg PhD, Professor, University of North Dakota Dr. Brown-Borg’s current studies are designed to further understand the relationship between cellular oxidation, hormones, mitochondrial activities and aging in a mammalian model of extended life span. Determining the pathways and mechanisms that growth hormone utilizes may suggest potential therapeutic interventions that could lead to strategies to delay aging, treat aging-related disorders and extend life span in humans.
	Piotr Zimniak PhD, Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences The major research interest of Dr. Zimniak is in the physiological and toxicological role of lipid peroxidation. In particular, he is studying the functions of the electrophilic product of lipid peroxidation, 4-hydroxynonenal.
	Brian Kennedy PhD, Professor, CEO and President of the Buck Institute for Aging Research Dr. Kennedy’s lab focuses on cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndromes like type II diabetes. Dr. Kennedy also studies the genetic mutations underlying diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy, muscular dystrophy and Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, which resembles premature aging. The mutations being studied affect a class of molecules called A-type nuclear lamins, and the lab is exploring their roles in health and disease.
	Yousin Suh PhD, Associate Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine The long-term research goal of Dr. Suh is to investigate the genetic components of aging and aging-related disease using functional genomics approaches. Her work is focused on the identification of gene sequence variation, i.e. single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in candidate genes and the assessment of their potential functional impact on aging-related phenotypes.
	Vadim Gladyshev PhD, Professor, Harvard Medical School Dr. Gladyshev’s research interests focus on redox biology and trace elements as applied to cancer, aging and male reproduction. His team was the first to sequence the full genome of a naked mole rat, an exceptionally long-lived rodent.