NIH Awards Einstein Researcher Multi-Million Dollar Grant To Extend Our Understanding Of Exceptional Longevity

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has
been awarded a grant of more than 9.25 million dollars from the National Institutes of Health to further the
medical school's study of centenarians and the biology of aging.
Led by Dr. Nir Barzilai, director of Einstein's Institute for Aging Research, the research will
build on the team's previous work to identify genes that appear to contribute to exceptional longevity in
humans, and to assess the associations among these genes with the delay or absence of age-related
diseases such as heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. To date, Dr. Barzilai and colleagues have identified
several biological markers that, they believe, may have contributed to the health and long lives of the
centenarians and their families-numbering over 400-who have participated in Einstein's Longevity
Genes Project.


The NIH grant will support a program of integrated projects, which are aimed at illuminating and
expanding the current knowledge of the biological mechanisms of healthy aging. Research goals
include:


- identifying additional genes and genetic variations within genes associated with longevity;


- identifying the ways these genes and their variants interact in humans;


- identifying the specific mechanisms of these genes and their variants, as well as their
roles in the onset or absence of age-related diseases and/or mental and physical
preservation;


- examining whether these longevity genes are likely to affect the incidence of
cardiovascular disease and other life-threatening illnesses in the offspring of
centenarians; and


- examining whether these longevity genes affect the incidence of cognitive impairment in
relation to the presence of favorable genotypes and their phenotypic expression.


"We are very grateful to the NIH for its support," said Dr. Barzilai, who also is the Ingeborg
and Ira Leon Rennert Professor of Aging Research at Einstein, as well as professor of medicine
and of molecular genetics. "We have in place a strong interdisciplinary team of Einstein
investigators, including specialists in the fields of gerontology, neurology, genetics,
epidemiology, and statistical genetics. These exceptional individuals have collaborated on our
previous longevity research and we will continue our work together in this critical next phase,
afforded by the NIH grant."


He added, "Ultimately, our goal is to learn, on a biomechanical and molecular basis, how to
prevent heart disease, strokes, dementia, and other ailments associated with aging. We anticipate
that these insights could lead to new modes of prevention against and treatment strategies for
these diseases. As such, we believe that our research will have a profound impact on both the
length and quality of life for all of us."

Albert Einstein College of Medicine