Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, the series recognizes Mrs. Mahoney’s lifetime commitment to medical research and its benefits to people worldwide. Florence Stephenson Mahoney is widely known for her dedicated efforts in shaping national health science policy, particularly with respect to aging.

Wisdom on Aging from the RNA World: Old Molecules in Young Roles

Myriam Gorospe, Ph.D.
National Institute of Aging, NIH

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are ancient macromolecules, likely the first molecules capable of heredity. Although RNAs of different sizes, sequences, and functions have been studied intensely over the past six decades, particular attention has been given to messenger (m)RNAs, the templates for protein synthesis. Interest in noncoding (nc)RNAs, which comprise a far larger and more diverse segment of the RNA family, has also escalated in recent years, especially as many ncRNAs, such as microRNAs and long noncoding (lnc)RNAs, directly influence protein expression programs.

Charting the Path for Alzheimer's Prevention with the Colombian Kindred with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease

Yakeel Quiroz, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

(This will be a hybrid lecture, previously advertised as being on June 22, now June 8 in person at Lipsett Amphitheather and on NIH VideoCast.) We work with an extraordinary kindred of approximately 6,000 individuals in Antioquia, Colombia, which contains roughly 1,200 carriers of a single autosomal-dominant mutation (PSEN1 E280A). These carriers are expected to develop early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, with almost 100% certainty, and have a well-characterized disease course, with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) occurring at a median age of 44, and dementia at 49.

Understanding and Modeling Aging

Anne Brunet, Ph.D.
Stanford University

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

For her April 7 lecture, Dr. Brunet will present her lab’s work on the regulation of brain aging and rejuvenation, notably the role of the immune system. She will discuss how her lab pioneered the naturally short-lived African killifish as a new model to identify principles underlying vertebrate aging.

Young Blood for Old Brains

Tony Wyss-Coray, Ph.D.
Stanford University

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

Evidence has indicated that the cerebrovasculature is an important target and that brain endothelial cells show prominent age-related transcriptional changes in response to plasma. Scientists also have discovered that plasma proteins are taken up broadly into the brain and that this process varies between individual endothelial cells and with aging. Researchers are currently exploring the relevance of these findings for neurodegeneration.

Senescence: live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse

Norman E. Sharpless, M.D.
National Cancer Institute

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

In addition to serving as director of NCI, Dr. Sharpless continues his research in understanding the biology of the aging process that promotes the conversion of normal self-renewing cells into dysfunctional cancer cells. Dr. Sharpless has made seminal contributions to the understanding of the relationship between aging and cancer, and in the preclinical development of novel therapeutics for melanoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer.

From genetics to therapeutics in Alzheimer’s: accelerating translation, increasing success

Lennart Mucke, M.D.
The J. David Gladstone Institutes

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

Dr. Mucke’s research focuses on conditions that cause cognitive deficits, behavioral abnormalities and other major neurological alterations, including aging-related dementias, epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders. He uses transgenic mouse models and neural cultures to dissect the pathogenic pathways that lead from genetic and environmental risk factors to neurological abnormalities at the molecular, cellular, network and behavioral level. Experimental models are also used to develop and evaluate novel treatment strategies.

Stem cells, aging, and aging stem cells

Amy Wagers, Ph.D.
Harvard University

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

Research in Dr. Wagers’s lab seeks to discover fundamental principles that govern tissue aging and determine stem cell function in organ regeneration and degenerative disease. These efforts build upon novel discoveries and unique experimental models, which are defining the cellular and molecular networks that control muscle regenerative activity and uncovering common signals delivered via the bloodstream that can reverse the effects of aging across tissues.

Age, genes, sex, and smell: predicting Parkinson disease

Andrew Singleton, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging

Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging

Dr. Singleton’s talk will focus on the most effective route to testing disease-modifying therapies in neurodegenerative disease earlier in the disease process, with a particular focus on Parkinson disease. He will discuss attempts to make headway in identifying at-risk patients as early as possible in the disease process, when interventions may be most effective.

This page was last updated on Tuesday, August 10, 2021