Key points from article :
Dr. Ming Guo says that she wants to reverse the aging process.
She is professor of neurology, molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
“If we could pause, delay or even reverse aging, we would make a significant impact against numerous diseases,” said Guo.
The percentage of people with Alzheimer's doubles every five years after the age of 65.
Guo joined the UCLA faculty two decades ago.
In a landmark publication in 2006, Guo and her team examined two genes, PINK1 and PARKIN, that are mutated in some people with Parkinson’s disease.
They discovered that the two genes work together to control the quality of mitochondria.
Dysfunctional mitochondria are associated with other neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
UCLA to establish a new interdisciplinary center, led by Guo, that will focus on aging, mitochondrial health and dementia.
The new center also will be aligned with the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA.
One of Guo’s newest areas of study is exploring PINK1 and PARKIN signaling in the gut.
