Events
Winter and Spring 2012: Frontiers in Aging seminar series
In the News
Glenn Laboratories at Stanford
February 2012: Inaugural event for new research center probes how to slow the aging process
Once seen as a ticket to obscurity, the field of aging research is coming of age. This can be seen in the convergence of thinking demonstrated at the Jan. 31 Frontiers in Aging symposium at the Clark Center auditorium. read more
February 2011: Launching of the Glenn Laboratories at Stanford
The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research has awarded a $5 million grant to Stanford University to launch a new center on the biology of aging, focusing on the role of stem cells in the aging process. read more
RESEARCH ON AGING AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY
January 2012 : 5 Questions: Rando on resetting the 'aging clock,' cell by cell
Advances in the study of stem cells have fueled hopes that someday, via regenerative medicine, doctors could restore aging people’s hearts, livers, brains and other organs and tissues to a more youthful state. read more
December 2011: Regeneration of specialized cells offers hope for treating chronic kidney disease
Damage to podocytes — a specialized type of epithelial cell in the kidney — occurs in more than 90 percent of all chronic kidney disease. Now researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have uncovered an unexpected pathway that reveals for the first time how these cells may regenerate and renew themselves during normal kidney function. read more
November 2011: Aging stem cells may explain higher prevalence of leukemia, infections among elderly
Human stem cells aren’t immune to the aging process, according to scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers studied hematopoietic stem cells, which create the cells that comprise the blood and immune system. Understanding when and how these stem cells begin to falter as the years pass may explain why some diseases, such as acute myeloid leukemia, increase in prevalence with age, and also why elderly people tend to be more vulnerable to infections such as colds and the flu. read more
October 2011: Propensity for longer life span inherited non-genetically over generations, study shows
We know that our environment — what we eat, the toxic compounds we are exposed to — can positively or negatively impact our life span. But could it also affect the longevity of our descendants, who may live under very different conditions? Recent research from the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests this could be the case. read more
August 2011: Scientists discover blood factors that appear to cause aging in brains of mice
Memo to mature, health-minded vampires: You might want to consider limiting your treats to victims under age 30. read more
May 2011: Study of stem cell diseases advanced by new technique
A rare genetic disease called dyskeratosis congenita, caused by the rapid shortening of telomeres (protective caps on the ends of chromosomes), can be mimicked through the study of undifferentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine. read more
June 2010: Study identifies proteins that extend life span in worms
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicinehave identified a new group of proteins involved in determining the life span of laboratory roundworms. read more
November 2009: Study shows neural stem cells in mice affected by gene associated with longevity
A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study in mice suggests that the gene may play an important role in maintaining cognitive function during aging. read more
January 2009: Stanford researchers uncover link between two aging pathways in mice
Two previously identified pathways associated with aging in mice are connected, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding reinforces what researchers have recently begun to suspect: that the age-related degeneration of tissues, organs and, yes, even facial skin with which we all struggle is an active. read more
July 2008: Prevailing theory of aging challenged in Stanford worm study
Age may not be rust after all. Specific genetic instructions drive aging in worms, report researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Their discovery contradicts the prevailing theory that aging is a buildup of tissue damage akin to rust, and implies science might eventually halt or even reverse the ravages of age. read more
April 2008: Researchers unmask powerhouse proteins in telomerase
One of the more intriguing workhorses of the cell, a protein conglomerate called telomerase, has in its short history been implicated in some critical areas of medicine including cancer, aging and keeping stem cells healthy. With such a resume, telomerase has been the subject of avid interest by basic scientists and pharmaceutical companies alike, so you'd think at the very least people would know what it is. read more
November 2007: Stanford researchers produce short-term reversal of skin aging in mice
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have reversed the effects of aging on the skin of mice, at least for a short period, by blocking the action of a single critical protein. read more.
June 2007: Aging stem cells in mice give clues to diseases of aging
As stem cells in the blood grow older, genetic mutations accumulate that could be at the root of blood diseases that strike people as they age, according to work done in mice by researchers at the School of Medicine. read more
July 2006: Whether in mice or men, all cells age the same, Stanford study finds
We can dye gray hair, lift sagging skin or boost lost hearing, but no visit to the day spa would be able to hide a newly discovered genetic marker for the toll that time takes on our cells. “We’ve found something that is at the core of aging,” said Stuart Kim, PhD, professor of developmental biology and of genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. read more
June 2005: Leukemia, infection tied to aging stem cells, Stanford researchers say
Older people are more prone to infections and have a higher risk of developing leukemia, and now researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have one hint as to why that may be. The group found that in mice, the bone marrow stem cells responsible for churning out new blood cells slow down in their ability to produce immune cells, leaving older mice with fewer defenses against infectio. read more.
February 2005: Young blood revives aging muscles, Stanford researchers find
Any older person can attest that aging muscles don't heal like young ones. But it turns out that's not the muscle's fault. A study in the Feb. 17 issue of Nature shows that it's old blood that keeps the muscles down. read more
November 2004: First genetic glimpse of aging kidney offers insights into how cells grow old
For the first time, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have examined how kidneys change at a molecular level with the passage of time. What they found suggests that all human cells age in a similar way, supporting one theory about how cells grow old. read more