Bakar Aging Research Institute

Tissue Repair Slows in Old Age. These Proteins Speed It Back Up UCSF scientists engineered old fibroblast cells to turn their genes on and off in the same way as young fibroblasts. The old fibroblasts were rejuvenated: they multiplied (green) and produced more of ...

UCSF has a cool article on BARI member Hao Li’s work. They found gene-regulating proteins that drop with age, slowing repair. Boosting them made old fibroblasts act young again and increasing EZH2 in mice rejuvenated livers. Read more here: www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/01...

Osteocyte-Intrinsic MMP13 exacerbates injury-induced temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis Cartilage in the knee and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) rely on subchondral bone for joint homeostasis, whereby osteoarthritis (OA) causes degeneration. In the knee, suppression of osteocytic perilacu...

Congrats to BARI’s Tamara Alliston on her latest paper in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage! They show loss of MMP13 in bone cells is protective against cartilage damage in injured jaw joints (TMJ), similar to effects seen in knees: www.oarsijournal.com/article/S106...

What a whirlwind at #JPM2026! Grateful for the inspiring chats, new ideas, and connections that make this field so exciting. From BARI in SF: thanks for coming, safe travels home, and let’s keep pushing geroscience forward together! #agingresearch

Aging mice are precious (and expensive!) – so why not get max data from each? BARI member Hanna Martens & team share a JoVE protocol for multi-organ collection. Over 15 organs from a single mouse. Smart & ethical: app.jove.com/t/69128/mult... #agingscience

Take a look: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

What if lowering triglycerides could help you survive low oxygen and age better? New EMBO Reports from BARI member Dengke Ma & team explores this conserved mechanism: from arctic ground squirrel brain cells to C. elegans, reducing lipid biosynthesis protects mitochondria and extends life.

Senolytic-sensitive p16Ink4a+ fibroblasts in the tumor stroma rewire lung cancer metabolism and plasticity The tumor stroma contains heterogenous cell types with senescent phenotypes. Lee et al. characterize a cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subtype characterized by p16INK4a expression and myofibroblast...

Great contribution to the field: bit.ly/3L7ATfr #CancerResearch #Aging

Well done to Tien Peng and team – exciting new paper out in Cell Stem Cell! The study shows how certain senescent fibroblasts drive metabolic reprogramming in lung adenocarcinoma and demonstrates that targeting them with an HSP90 inhibitor shrinks tumors.

Wishing you all a brilliant 2026 from everyone at BARI! May the new year bring discoveries that change the world by advancing aging research. See how we’re building on the past to make a great future in 2026 and beyond: www.nature.com/articles/d42... #2026 #Geroscience

Comparative analysis of human and mouse ovaries across age The mouse is a tractable model for human ovarian biology; however, its utility is limited by incomplete understanding of how transcription and signaling differ interspecifically and with age. We compa...

In case you missed it: Diana Laird and her lab dropped this awesome Science paper. A deep dive comparing human and mouse ovaries over time, spotlighting conserved aging features to enhance our translational understanding. A major win for reproductive health! www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....

In case you missed it: BARI’s John Greenland and lab found frailty in lung transplant recipients links to shorter telomeres and anemia – but not epigenetic age or inflammation. Not all aging hallmarks hit equally! Read the interesting details here: www.amjtransplant.org/action/showP...

G-protein-coupled receptor ADGRG1 drives a protective microglial state in Alzheimer's disease through MYC activation Microglial ADGRG1 drives a protective state in Alzheimer’s disease by activating the transcription factor MYC, which upregulates genes associated with homeostasis, phagocytosis, and lysosomal function...

www.cell.com/neuron/abstr...

Big congrats to BARI’s Xian Piao and her lab for their awesome paper in Neuron! They found that microglial ADGRG1 turns on MYC to make microglia more protective and better at clearing amyloid to keep neurons healthier in Alzheimer's models. Huge win for AD research! #Alzheimers #Neuroscience

BARI congratulates fellow UCSF aging scientist Lauren Hunt for winning the 2025 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award from AFAR! Using big data to make hospice & palliative care for dementia patients – such important work. BARI is cheering you on! #AgingResearch www.afar.org/news/afar-pl...

Jarin Tusnim – Cure Alzheimer's Fund Dr. Jarin Tusnim is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She received her B.Sc.

Huge congrats to Jarin Tusnim, postdoc in the Piao Lab at BARI, for her Cure Alzheimer's Fund grant! Jarin is exploring how ADGRG1 helps microglia stop tau from spreading, which could lead to boosting brain protection for new AD therapies. Great work Jarin! #Alzheimers #CureAlz bit.ly/4j79J4Q

CHCHD2 mutant mice link mitochondrial deficits to PD pathophysiology A CHCHD2 mouse model of Parkinson’s disease exhibits mitochondrial disruption with a metabolic shift toward glycolysis.

Exciting research from BARI member Ken Nakamura! Their study out in @ScienceAdvances shows for the first time in vivo, a better understanding of how mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to α-synuclein accumulation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease. Check out the story here: bit.ly/4aWt4n4

So proud of our research teams at BARI - @ucsanfrancisco.bsky.social now #2 globally in this year’s Nature Index for Aging! Excited to keep challenging what’s possible for healthier aging. Check out the full list: www.nature.com/nature-index... #BARI #UCSF #Geroscience

Been working on a really strange retron bacterial immune system, here's the preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Type VI retrons are unlike any other. Phage infection triggers reverse transcription of a DNA fragment that activates translation of a toxin to kill the infected cell.

Nancy Allen and Tien Peng's study reveals that age-dependent NF-kB activation in tissue fibroblasts contributes to #inflammaging by remodeling immune architecture and promoting exhausted T cell populations. bit.ly/4qlIR4k

Kate Cavanaugh and Orion Weiner's research out now on @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social identifies a mechanical defect in embryos from aged mothers that impairs implantation. These findings could enhance embryo selection in Assisted #Reproductive Technologies. bit.ly/47tY7V8

Targeting iron-associated protein Ftl1 in the brain of old mice improves age-related cognitive impairment - Nature Aging The authors identify ferritin light chain 1 (FTL1), an iron-associated protein, as a pro-aging neuronal factor that increases with age and promotes cognitive decline. Targeting FTL1 in the brain impro...

In our October issue: Ferritin light chain 1 (FTL1), an iron-associated protein, is a pro-aging neuronal factor that increases with age and promotes cognitive decline. Targeting FTL1 in the brain improved cognition in old mice @VilledaLab @ucsfaging.bsky.social @UCSF www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Delirium in hospitalized COVID-19 patients is associated with dynamic changes in peripheral immune gene expression - PubMed Delirium is a neurologic syndrome characterized by inattention and cognitive impairment frequently encountered in medically ill older adults. As a hallmark of age-related brain vulnerability, delirium...

Sara LaHue, @geriscidoc.bsky.social, and others published in @geroscience.bsky.social an interdisciplinary effort to identify longitudinal transcriptomic changes in adults with #delirium hospitalized with #COVID-19. bit.ly/4o8wMO7

It's wonderful to see the number of outstanding applicants increase each year for our graduate student fellowships in collaboration with the UCSF Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging. Congrats to this year's recipients! #GeroSky #SciSky

A recent manuscript published in @jclinical-invest.bsky.social led by Preeti Yadav from Mallar Bhattacharya's lab in collaboration with other BARI colleagues identifies an #immune-mesenchymal circuit that fuels fibrotic metabolism in #lung_fibrosis. bit.ly/4gmuiZM

Check out the recent publication by Ken Nakamura's Lab in @elife.bsky.social!

A new study, led by Kushal (Berkeley), Nicole&Victoria (UCSF) in full collaboration with @karthikshekhar.bsky.social, "Molecular and spatial analysis of ganglion cells on retinal flatmounts identifies perivascular neurons resilient to glaucoma" sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #retina #MERFISH

Targeting iron-associated protein Ftl1 in the brain of old mice improves age-related cognitive impairment - Nature Aging The authors identify ferritin light chain 1 (FTL1), an iron-associated protein, as a pro-aging neuronal factor that increases with age and promotes cognitive decline. Targeting FTL1 in the brain impro...

A recent manuscript published in @nataging.nature.com by Laura Remesal Gomez and the Villeda Lab identifies ferritin light chain 1 (FTL1) as a pro-aging neuronal factor that impairs #cognition, and as a potential target for cognitive #rejuvenation. Link to manuscript here: bit.ly/4lG46dp #GeroSky

Tumor cell-adipocyte gap junctions activate lipolysis and contribute to breast tumorigenesis - Nature Communications Breast cancer cells interact with neighbouring adipocytes, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, the authors show that triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells transfer cAMP through gap...

How do tumor cells co-opt neighboring #adipocytes to promote #tumorigenesis? @andreigoga.bsky.social and colleagues identify a direct tumor cell-adipocyte interaction that activates lipolysis in triple negative breast cancer models. #SciSky #GeroSky bit.ly/4mRZYYN @natureportfolio.nature.com

Alanine Catabolism as a Targetable Vulnerability for MYC-Driven Liver Cancer Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death world-wide in part due to the shortage of effective therapies, and MYC overexpression defines an aggressive and especially difficult to treat su...

Our latest on cancer metabolism by star student Tonatiuh Montoya @ctbatucsf.bsky.social @ucsfcancer.bsky.social

Liver cancers driven by the MYC oncogene are reliant on alanine metabolism. Alanine is the second most abundant amino acid and can partially substitute for glucose and glutamine. 🧪

G-protein-coupled receptor ADGRG1 drives a protective microglial state in Alzheimer's disease through MYC activation Microglial ADGRG1 drives a protective state in Alzheimer’s disease by activating the transcription factor MYC, which upregulates genes associated with homeostasis, phagocytosis, and lysosomal function...

Interesting work from Xianhua Piao, MD, PhD on the interplay between G-protein-coupled receptor, ADGRG1, and MYC activation to promote a protective microglial state in a 5xFAD mouse model. Manuscript here: bit.ly/3HhtmbP