While some say aging is a natural part of development, others see it in a negative light, in tandem with disease and death.
The Gorbunova-Seluanov Lab, led by URochester’s Doris Johns Cherry Professor of Biology and Medicine Vera Gorbunova, as well as Dean’s Professor of Biology and Medicine Andrei Seluanov, studies the molecular and genetic processes behind aging in different mammals, as this class of animals provides more insight on human aging and health.
“It’s just a fascinating fundamental process of life,” Gorbunova remarked. “Almost every living organism changes, and we want to understand it. Some people viewed [aging] as maybe another end of developmental biology, while [other] people figured out specific genes had tribulated.” In other words, aging is manifested by genes and is not a random event in development.
One of the main projects the lab takes on is comparing the mechanisms behind aging in different mammal species. Ph.D. candidate Zack Vanderhoff is one of many graduate students who compares the aging processes of humans with that of bowhead whales, which are known for their incredibly long lifespan of 200 years or more. For Vanderhoff, studying aging is important for understanding how humans can live longer and healthier lives.
“We want animals to live longer, but also to be healthier, because no one actually wants to live like a 90-year-old for 10 more years,” Vanderhoff said. “So it’s important that when we’re doing these studies, we’re assessing the fitness of the mice. Even if [the mice] don’t necessarily live longer, they may live healthier for a greater amount of their life.”
Vanderhoff also researches the lifespan of bowhead whales, who possess a gene that enables them to live longer and healthier lives than most mammals. His group tested their hypothesis that this gene could be cultivated in other mammals by inserting that gene into a group of mice while assessing their fitness. They found that mice with the gene showed fewer signs of inflammation — a common sign of aging — and willingness to exercise, though it may not necessarily prolong their lifespans.
Aging can be seen as the accumulation of mutations, which leads to genome instability. Aging is linked to genetic conditions including Huntington’s disease and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. Gorbunova believes that studying aging can advance human health care by extending our lifespans.
“From the societal point of view, that is extremely important because almost every disease is because of aging, and if we learn how to prevent or to slow aging, we can cure many diseases at once, because aging is the cause,” she said.
In another ongoing project, the group discovered how developed countries, such as Japan and South Korea, appear to have populations with long lifespans. It was revealed by studies that parts of the diets of these populations are linked to a prolonged life expectancy. Common food items in these countries, especially brown seaweed, which contains a sugar called fucoidan, have been shown to increase lifespan and health expectancy by promoting genomic stability. Fucoidan suppresses the effects of selfish genes: parts of the genome that increase its size but do not contribute to its function. The sugar achieves this by activating the protein Sirtuin-6 which is primarily involved in DNA repair and the prevention of inflammation.
“We wanted to find ways to activate Sirtuin-6. We searched for different molecules, and one of those molecules was this natural compound [fucoidan],” Gorbunova said. “It was so exciting that we know that countries with the longest life expectancy [were] where people consume a lot of brown seaweed. And here we are, finding this compound in brown seaweed that stimulates longevity.”
The lab eventually took on further testing by giving mice small samples of fucoidan, and they observed them living longer than average. They will continue studying the effects of fucoidan by testing a small group of people in Singapore and are in the midst of publishing a scientific paper. This effort will be funded by the National Institute of Health along with the Advanced Research Project Agency of Health.
The Gorbunova-Seluanov Lab frequently collaborates with the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), which advances physicians’ research on age-associated diseases. Associate Chief of Research for URMC Division of Geriatrics and Aging and Professor of Nursing, Medicine, and Psychiatry Kathi Heffner is one of many researchers collaborating with Gorbunova. She mostly studies the implications of healthy aging and stress in people at risk of conditions such as dementia.
“It’s exciting to now merge our interests in animal and human research to help advance understanding of drugs that could extend healthspan and longevity,” Heffner remarked.
For student researchers like Vanderhoff, working in the Gorbunova-Seluanov Lab has been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about aging and collaborate with other researchers.
“[This lab] just gives me the opportunity to design experiments with less restrictions than I would have maybe in other places,” Vanderhoff reflected. “Moving to a new city to start my Ph.D., I’ve met lots of interesting people. But I also have, in this lab, many different people to ask questions of; to be my mentors.
