Aging is the leading risk factor for most chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Several factors including inflammation, macromolecular damage, and metabolism appear to underlie biological aging. Although preclinical studies show that single interventions (e.g., very low calorie diets) can lengthen lifespan, evidence now suggests that simultaneously combining several interventions that target multiple aging factors may be more effective.

The NIH has awarded Derek Huffman, Ph.D., a five-year, $2.5 million grant to identify combined strategies that will prevent or delay AD beyond what can be achieved with single approaches. Using a mouse model of AD, Dr. Huffman, will first compare the age-delaying effectiveness of several different interventions targeting inflammation and other factors. He will then use a systems approach to select interventions that will interact synergistically to outperform individual interventions. Those intervention combinations will then be tested in animal models to validate whether they do outperform single interventions. The research will help establish whether a systems approach can reveal novel combinations of strategies for treating or preventing AD.

Dr. Huffman is associate professor of molecular pharmacology, and of medicine, and is director of the Health Span Core (HSC) at Einstein. (1R01 AG067312).