Large-scale genetic study may provide new insight into aging, age-related chronic diseases

Thursday, October 22, 2015

An international team of scientists co-led by researchers from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is reporting the discovery of nearly 1,500 age-related genes, most of which have not been previously identified. The study, one of the largest of its kind to explore genes associated with aging, could spark new insights into the aging process and age-related chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The findings could, for example, provide new targets for developing drugs to delay or prevent age-related diseases. The study, which is partly funded by the NHLBI, appears in the online issue of Nature Communications.