American Federation for Aging Research

04/24/2026

In celebration of AFAR’s 45th Anniversary, we’re highlighting the people, programs, and milestones that have shaped AFAR and our impact on aging research.

In recognition of World Women’s Wellness Day today, we are highlighting our September 2021 webinar “Sex Differences in Aging,” part of our Live Better Longer series produced with Prevention magazine.

AFAR grantee Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, and Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, discussed how biological differences between men and women shape aging, disease risk, and health outcomes over time. Their insights remind us that understanding these s*x differences is critical to advancing more personalized and effective approaches to care.

Watch the full webinar here: https://youtu.be/kAeA-bzwwyU?si=xXV8L0bpKq-XAwDr

04/23/2026

Nature Aging recently published research co-authored by grantee Anthony J. Covarrubias, PhD, on newly identified senescent “zombie” cells as a driver of inflammation and fatty liver disease. Dr. Covarrubias is the senior author on the paper, and this research builds on work supported by his 2022 grant from AFAR.
Read more in a related UCLA Newsroom article here:

The study found that excess dietary cholesterol, not just aging alone, can push these immune cells into a permanently inflamed state.

04/22/2026

A recent Association for American Medical Colleges (AAMC) feature article chronicles momentum across the academic sciences to advance therapeutics and interventions to extend healthspan. AFAR experts Nir Barzilai, MD; Sara Espinoza, MD; Matt Kaeberlein, PhD; and James L. Kirkland, MD, PhD, lend insights. The San Antonio Nathan Shock Center, part of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center managed by AFAR, is also featured.
Read the full article here:

New research from longevity clinics suggests that the human lifespan and health span could be extended through off-label prescribing of some medications.

04/21/2026

AFAR Expert in the News: The New Yorker features cautionary insights from Grantee and Irving Wright award recipient Pinchas Cohen, MD, on the growing “biohacking” trend of injecting peptides among social media influencers and individuals seeking to extend longevity.
Read here:

Health and wellness influencers are hawking unapproved treatments on the gray market. The future of the F.D.A.—and the health of consumers—is at stake.

04/20/2026

Cell recently published new research co-authored by grantee Zeda Zhang, PhD, on a novel use of CAR T cell therapy for treating solid tumors.
Read a related Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center feature here:
https://www.mskcc.org/news/cell-surface-protein-upar-may-hold-key-to-targeting-solid-tumors-with-car-cell-therapy

04/17/2026

In celebration of AFAR’s 45th Anniversary, we’re highlighting the people, programs, and milestones that have shaped AFAR and our impact on aging research.

AFAR Scientific Director Emeritus George M. Martin, MD, was a true pioneer in the field of aging research. Dr. Martin joined AFAR’s Board of Directors in 1995 and was elected Scientific Director in 2003, serving for a decade while overseeing our scientific and grant programs. His own research was foundational in our understanding of somatic cell genetics and aging, the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease, and what he called a “segmental progeria,” Werner’s syndrome.

Dr. Martin devoted his long, distinguished career to growing the field of aging research while fostering the careers of junior colleagues. Today, the new generations of aging researchers represent one of his most enduring and powerful contributions. In his honor, AFAR established the George M. Martin Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award. AFAR will be announcing this year’s recipient soon!

Read a tribute to the late Dr. Martin by AFAR Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-023-00747-z

04/14/2026

The New York Times featured cautionary insights from AFAR Board Member and grantee James L. Kirkland, MD, PhD, on longevity medicine and its future potential.
Read here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/well/longevity-medicine-definition.html
The article was written by NYT Health Reporter Dana G. Smith, PhD, who moderated the AFAR Webinar, "The State of Gerotherapeutics: Next Gen Interventions to Extend Healthy Living." Watch here: https://vimeo.com/1121256811?fl=pl&fe=sh

The field is ripe with opportunity — and opportunism. Here’s how to navigate it.

04/13/2026

Reflecting on her 2025 AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty, Jennifer Tuscher, PhD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, shares: “By using state-of-the-art approaches to better define cell-type specific alterations that occur during aging, we aim to develop targeted intervention strategies to either restore adequate hormone signaling or improve cellular responsiveness locally in the brain. Our ultimate goal is to help people maintain sharper cognitive function as they age by targeting these specific biological mechanisms.”
Learn more about her AFAR-supported research in our Grantee Spotlight Interview here: https://www.afar.org/grantee-spotlight-interviews/jennifer-tuscher-phd

04/13/2026

Thanks in part to efforts led by AFAR's Amplifying Geroscience Initiative, the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request includes $25 million for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support research on the biomarkers of aging.

Read the complete budget request and learn more about the Amplifying Geroscience Initiative’s efforts since 2022 here: https://www.afar.org/amplifying-geroscience-initiative

04/10/2026

In celebration of AFAR’s 45th Anniversary, we’re highlighting the people, programs, and milestones that have shaped the organization and our impact on aging research.

It all begins with Irving S. Wright, MD, who founded AFAR in 1981.

An internationally recognized cardiologist and pioneering geriatrician, Dr. Wright had the foresight to realize that there would be a substantial age boom in the years ahead, yet very few resources had been devoted to biomedical research to support such a boom.

Learn more about Dr. Wright’s vision in an excerpt from our 35th anniversary report: “Years of Hope: Expanding Knowledge, Building the Field” describes the early foundation of AFAR’s leadership and programs. Read here:
https://www.afar.org/imported/Years-of-Hope_Excerpt-AFAR-35th-Anniversary-Report-2.pdf

Explore the different initiatives of the science AFAR supports and how it benefits aging populations.

04/10/2026

Reflecting on his 2025 AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty, Joe Nassour, PhD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, shares: "Over time, senescent cells begin to release harmful signals that trigger inflammation and contribute to aging and diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and dementia… With support from AFAR, we’re using cutting-edge tools to map these contact sites and figure out how they control inflammation. The long-term goal is to develop ways to block the harmful effects of senescent cells while preserving their ability to prevent cancer.”
Learn more about his AFAR-supported research in our Grantee Spotlight Interview here: https://www.afar.org/grantee-spotlight-interviews/joe-nassour-phd

04/09/2026

Reflecting on her 2025 AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty, Hanna Martens, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco-Ucsf, shares: “Aging is an incredibly complex and fascinating biological process: it touches every organ, every cell type, and ultimately shapes the trajectory of our health and lifespan. As a scientist, I’m excited by the opportunity to uncover mechanisms that drive aging, and as a human being, I’m motivated by the possibility of improving how we age. There’s something powerful about working at that intersection.”
Learn more about her AFAR-supported research in our Grantee Spotlight Interview here: https://www.afar.org/grantee-spotlight-interviews/hanna-martens-phd