Speaker: Hua Bai, associate professor in genetics, development and cell biology

Title: Metabolic regulation of aging

Abstract: The global population aged 65 and older is projected to reach 20% by 2050, significantly increasing the personal, societal, and economic burdens associated with age-related diseases. Consequently, there is an urgent need to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving age-dependent tissue decline and identify novel therapeutic targets for age-related diseases.

My laboratory investigates the metabolic regulation of aging using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates CRISPR genome editing, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, live cell imaging, and behavioral analysis. Our work primarily focuses on the metabolic tissues (e.g. Heart, liver, kidney) and metabolic organelles (e.g., peroxisomes and mitochondria). In 2020, we made a significant discovery establishing peroxisome dysfunction as a driver of aging, particularly through peroxisome-mediated liver-heart communication. Since then, we have made substantial progress in understanding the role of peroxisomes and their regulation of lipid metabolism in animal aging and age-related disorders. Our research program is structured into three interconnected areas:

1. Autonomous and non-autonomous regulation of cardiac aging;
2. Peroxisome dysfunction as a driver of aging;
3. Regulation of lipid metabolic homeostasis.

Host: Yanhai Yin, GDCB chair