Why do we grow old? Why does aging cause disease? Can we slow aging or even reverse it? These are some of the greatest unsolved questions in biology. Advances in technology are allowing us to probe these questions more deeply and more rapidly than ever. By tackling these questions, we aim to develop medicines that may one day prevent and/or treat multiple common diseases at once. Our ultimate goal is to allow people to live healthier, disease-free lives. We focus on genes (e.g. sirtuins) and small molecules (e.g. resveratrol) that mimic exercise and calorie restriction, a diet that slows the pace of aging in animals. We use mouse models to test genes and small molecules for their ability to protect against common age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, infertility, and type II diabetes. At the cellular level we study epigenetics, cellular metabolism and mitochondrial function, neuroprotection, and cellular senescence. Expertise in the lab ranges from enzymology and biochemistry, to genetics and systems biology, to mouse models and pharmacology. Graduate students in the lab develop a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge about a variety of diseases and their underlying cellular processes, preparing them for a career in academia and/or drug discovery.