NEW YORK, NY and SANTA BARBARA, CA – The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research are pleased to announce the 2022 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty recipients.
The Research Grant for Junior Faculty provides an early career investigator with up to $125,000 for one- to two-years to support research focused on aging processes and age-related diseases. Selected through a rigorous review process, this year’s recipients are exploring a range of vital topics at prominent research institutions nationwide:
• Albert Almada, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California: Mis-regulation of Stem Cell Activation Mechanisms Driving Muscle Dysfunction in the Elderly
• Ying Ann Chiao, PhD, Assistant Professor, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation: The regulation of mitochondrial NAD+ metabolism in the aging heart
• Carlos Manlio Díaz-García, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center: Casting light on energy metabolism throughout the anatomy of aging neurons
• Ilia Droujinine, PhD, Scripps Research Fellow and Principal Investigator, Scripps Research: Characterization of adipose tissue-to-muscle communication pathways in aging
• Ryo Higuchi-Sanabria, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California: Sensing and signaling ER stress from neurons to periphery
• Kevin Murach, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas: Myc as the Driver of Cellular Epigenetic Rejuvenation in Skeletal Muscle
• Juan Pablo Palavicini, PhD, Assistant Professor, UT Health San Antonio: Functional lipidomics reveals a novel molecular mechanism underlying improved metabolic function and lifespan extension in remarkably long-lived mice
• Daniel Roh, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Medicine: Delineation of beneficial and detrimental roles of senescent cells in impaired wound healing of aging
• Judith Simcox, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin Madison: Discovery of ceramide signaling as a regulator of energy expenditure with aging
“The Research Grant for Junior Faculty provides flexible support at a critical juncture in an early investigator’s career when research funding is most difficult to obtain,” notes Stephanie Lederman, EdM, Executive Director of AFAR. “Supporting promising researchers early is essential for long-term impact.”
Notes Mark R. Collins, President of the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research: “The Research Grants for Junior Faculty provide a solid foundation for junior investigators to help evolve our understanding the basic biology of aging, which will help extend our years of health as we grow older and advance better therapies for age-related diseases.”
This grant program is funded in part by the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and the support of The AFAR Board of Directors, Anonymous, The James A. and Dorothy R. Brunn Foundation, The Irene Diamond Fund, The Charina Foundation, David W. Gore, Lowell Johnson, Diana Jacobs Kalman, Diane Nixon/Deeds Foundation, Sami Sagol, and The Irving S. Wright Endowment.
Learn more about the grant program here and the 2022 recipients here.
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About the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research - Founded by Paul F. Glenn in 1965, the mission of the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research is to extend the healthy years of life through research on mechanisms of biology that govern normal human aging and its related physiological decline, with the objective of translating research into interventions that will extend healthspan with lifespan. Learn more at glennfoundation.org.
About AFAR - The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national non-profit organization that supports and advances pioneering biomedical research that is revolutionizing how we live healthier and longer. For more than four decades, AFAR has served as the field’s talent incubator, providing more than $193 million to nearly 4350 investigators at premier research institutions to date—and growing. In 2022, AFAR is expected to award over $11,000,000 to more than 60 investigators. A trusted leader and strategist, AFAR also works with public and private funders to steer high quality grant programs and interdisciplinary research networks. AFAR-funded researchers are finding that modifying basic cellular processes can delay—or even prevent—many chronic diseases, often at the same time. They are discovering that it is never too late—or too early—to improve health. This groundbreaking science is paving the way for innovative new therapies that promise to improve and extend our quality of life—at any age. Learn more at www.afar.org or follow AFARorg on Twitter and Facebook and American Federation for Aging Research on LinkedIn.