News at the URAI
UR Aging Institute Launches “Vital Times for Aging” Newsletter
Welcome to the inaugural Aging Institute newsletter! Geriatrics & Aging has had a strong presence at the University of Rochester and nationally for over 60 years. This newsletter will provide a snapshot of some of the amazing work our colleagues at the University of Rochester are leading.
Vera Gorbunova Speaks at Global Healthspan Summit
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Vera Gorbunova, PhD, member of the UR Aging Institute, was invited to speak at the Global Healthspan Summit in February, an event that brought together the world's leading aging researchers. Dr. Gorbunova participated in a panel discussion on comparative biology and spoke about her research that identifies commonalities among humans and long-lived species like whales.
“Wild animals need to stay extremely healthy to live long otherwise they would not survive,” said Gorbunova. “So those adaptations that we discovered can be directly targeted to improve [human] healthspan.”
More than 2,000 people attended the Summit, which helped researchers learn about scientific breakthroughs, form strategic partnerships, and connect with potential investors to improve healthspan for future generations.
New Study Links Mystery Mutations to Kidney Disease, Unlocking Potential Therapies
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Hongbo Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biomedical Genetics, and researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania pooled 32 types of genetic data to link mutations in non-coding (junk) DNA to their functions. Published in Science, “this paper solves a vexing puzzle that has plagued genetic research for decades,” said Hartmut “Hucky” Land, chair of Biomedical Genetics at URMC.