Rising Stars in Comparative Biology of Aging

Research Topic Highlights

This article collection explores various animal models and mechanisms associated with aging, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and age-related physiological changes. It covers four distinct perspectives: (1) the emerging potential of therapeutic interventions using genetically-modified probiotics targeting the gut microbiome and renin-angiotensin system for Alzheimer's disease; (2) neuropathological studies in elderly cats showing similarities to AD pathology, including accumulations of beta-amyloid and tau proteins, suggesting cats as a viable comparative model of human cognitive decline; (3) elephants as natural models of extended lifespan and resistance to age-related diseases like cancer and cognitive impairment, highlighting unique brain morphology and the notable presence of multiple TP53 tumor suppressor gene copies; and (4) the muscular and mitochondrial adaptations to aging and exercise in horses, providing insights into age-linked metabolic and functional changes in skeletal muscle tissue. Collectively, these articles underscore diverse, comparative approaches to elucidating biological mechanisms of aging and cognitive diseases, opening avenues for developing therapeutic strategies and broadening our understanding of aging across various mammalian species.

Context and Scope

Animal models, including yeast, C. elegans, mice, rats and more recently, dogs, have helped establish the foundational hallmarks of aging. Seminal discoveries, including the role of insulin signaling in lifespan extension, as well as the effects of key anti-geronic interventions like rapamycin and caloric restriction have been validated through this evolutionary scale. Recent advances using new animal models (killiefish, marmosets, etc) have challenged some of these findings, and opened up exciting new avenues to understand the biochemical and organismal pathways that underlie aging. In this Research Topic, we will focus on the comparative biology of model organisms in aging research, and we welcome new research manuscripts or reviews manuscripts highlighting the contributions of metabolism, proteostasis and redox biology to the process of aging.

One of the goals of this issue is to highlight the abundance of stellar junior faculty and rising stars in the field of aging research, and for them to take advantage of the fast, peer-review system already in place at Frontiers at key junctions in their careers. We also highly encourage women and minorities underrepresented in research to submit.