RESEARCH

For a broad range of taxonomically diverse organisms, nutrient availability acts as a powerful modulator of health and longevity through molecular mechanisms that are largely unknown. In mammals, diet restriction (abbreviated DR) increases lifespan and is accompanied by a broad-spectrum improvement in health during aging (Longo and Finch 2003). A long-term focus in our lab has been on studies to identify specific genetic mechanisms of aging, and its modulation by nutrient availability, using Drosophila as a model system.

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Many aspects of biology are influenced by decisions that are made in response to environmental cues. In most cases, the central nervous system integrates sensory input about nutrient availability  and information about internal energy stores to orchestrate organism-wide physiological and behavioral changes. The components of this process include abilities to sense nutrient availability, evaluate current nutrient demand, and recognize a rewarding action that satisfies that demand. Our laboratory has demonstrated that sensory perception is sufficient to affect lifespan, and we are actively working on how this information is processed and integrated in the brain. 

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We love to develop technology that pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the laboratory and that challenges us to answer questions about the genetic and neurological control of aging that could not be answered otherwise. We develop mathematical techniques, computer software, and machines that help us understand aging and study its control in the fly.

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