Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $3,042,600 over three years to UC Berkeley to support research led by Dr. Irina Conboy on the mechanisms of aging.
In her previous work, Dr. Conboy has identified ten new biomarkers and a set of pathways that may potentially be involved in the repression of biological renewal and repair in older mice and humans. This grant will fund the development of tools to trace tissue-specific changes associated with aging and rejuvenation through blood “dilution” techniques (e.g. apheresis, therapeutic blood exchange, and albumin replacement) in mice.
We hope this work will contribute to our understanding of the biology of aging and could identify druggable targets that might be better suited for future clinical trials.
This follows Open Philanthropy’s June 2019 support, falls within its work on scientific research (specifically within its interest in advancing transformative basic science), and is a product of Open Philanthropy’s investigation into research on the mechanisms of aging.