Dixit Lab News

Immune cells found in fat tissue are linked to age-associated inflammation, Yale researchers find. The cells could be a target for slowing age-related illness.

A battle between immune cell family members hints at why chronic inflammation ramps up as we get older.

Study from authors who include several members of Yale School of Medicine reveals that a newly discovered type of immune cell found in fat tissue seems to contribute to the chronic inflammation associated with aging.

Reducing calorie intake can improve health and longevity. A new study finds the amino acid cysteine may be a key reason why.

Vishwa Deep Dixit, PhD, DVM, Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Pathology and Professor of Immunology and Director of the Yale Center for Research on Aging, has been selected as an inductee to the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research.

Getting older can affect the heart, kidneys, and other important organs, leading to health problems and a decreased quality of life. Although aging is a natural process that every living person goes through, little is known about what causes our bodies to age. Daniel Jane-Wit, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine) and immunobiology, is investigating what causes our bodies to age and how we might be able to one day block or slow this process.

Aging is a major risk factor for most chronic conditions, evidence shows, yet much of current research focuses on addressing specific diseases. The new Translational Geroscience Initiative at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) seeks to change that approach by studying the effects of aging on various ailments.

Chronic inflammation, one of the major hallmarks of aging, is thought to be partly caused by senescent cells that may accumulate in older individuals. Now, Yale researchers have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund’s Cellular Senescence Network Program (SenNet) to study these specialized cells.

In a new study, Yale researchers show that moderate calorie restriction in people reduces the production of a protein called SPARC, which then reins in harmful inflammation and improves health in the aged. It could be a target for extending human health span, they report.