Leonard P. Guarente

Leonard P. Guarente is the Novartis Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), affiliated with the Department of Biology in the College of Science. His research focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying aging and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and muscular dystrophy. He employs bioinformatics and functional analyses to study aging pathways in mammals, particularly in brain regions and muscle tissues. Guarente’s work has identified key roles for sirtuins, NAD+ metabolism, and epigenetic regulation in longevity and disease.

Education: PhD in 1978 from Harvard University, SB in Biology in 1974 from MIT.

Research Interests: Aging biology, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic pathways, epigenetic regulation, and sirtuin function. His lab investigates how genetic pathways influence aging processes and explores therapeutic interventions for age-related pathologies.

Publications Highlight: Over 150 publications, including seminal papers on SIRT1’s role in fat metabolism, aging in C. elegans, and NAD+ dependent deacetylases. Recent work focuses on Alzheimer’s disease risk factors and muscular dystrophy treatments.

Awards: Multiple honors, including the Feodor Lynen Award (2012), Charles H. Best Lectureship (2011), and election to the French Academy of Sciences (2009).

Labs/Teams: His lab at MIT’s Koch Institute integrates computational and experimental approaches to study aging mechanisms. Collaborates widely, including with Kellis (computational biology) and Satoh (neuroscience).