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Molecular biologist Hans Martin Dalton takes a philosophical view of longevity and healthspan (the part of one’s life spent in good health). He wonders whether increased healthspan might change people’s cultural perspective and the way they think about humanity.

“If you live longer and healthier, can you more clearly see the changes that occur across generations, such as climate change?” Dalton says. “Would you find more meaning in life?”

These deep questions led Dalton to his life’s work — studying the cellular mechanisms of aging and disease.

A school dedicated to the study of aging

Dalton came to USC to pursue a PhD in 2012 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Michigan. “When looking for a PhD program, I only applied to universities that had strong aging programs,” Dalton says. “Of course, USC had an entire school of gerontology.”

During the PhD recruiting process, Dalton met Sean Curran, professor of gerontology and molecular and computational biology, who offered him a rotation in his lab. Curran would eventually become Dalton’s graduate student mentor.

Dalton’s official program of study at USC was Molecular & Computational Biology, but he spent most of his time at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. There, he found the broad view of aging he was looking for as well as opportunities to participate in pioneering research.

An immersive experience

At USC, Dalton immersed himself in his lab work and classes and found kinship with his fellow students. They ate lunch together, studied together and worked late in the lab.

The USC Leonard Davis School offers many opportunities for students and faculty to learn and socialize. Dalton loved the weekly seminars that covered a wide range of aging-related topics. He also recalls frequent gatherings in the building’s courtyard that often featured Mediterranean-style food. The Mediterranean Diet is often cited as one of the best for health and longevity.

Curran also provided strong guidance and support. “He’s a wonderful human being and was always positive and encouraging,” Dalton says. “I could be feeling down about my project and after talking to him, I’d feel like everything was okay. He could talk me through the most difficult times.”

Understanding the mechanisms of aging

In Curran’s lab, Dalton studied longevity in the nematode C. elegans. Previous work showed that impairing protein synthesis in adult worms led to a longer lifespan. The worms also had better health and were resistant to stressors such as heat and free radicals. .

“My goal was to understand this observation from a developmental perspective,” he says. “During my experiments, I impaired protein synthesis in young worms with the hope of understanding of what’s happening later in life.”

Dalton found that young worms with impaired protein synthesis entered a state of arrested development. They were alive but were not growing or developing. And when he restored protein synthesis, the worms started growing again and made it to adulthood.

Additional research suggested that this mechanism evolved to protect the worms from adverse environmental conditions, such as toxins. If they encountered a toxin that reduced protein synthesis, they halt their development and gain stress resistance. When the toxin was gone, protein synthesis turned back on and the worms continued to grow into adults.

“We think that adult worms may activate a similar pathway as arrested development when we reduce protein synthesis,” Dalton says. “Our hypothesis is that these longevity benefits occur because of the protective mechanism that evolved during development,” Dalton says.

Grants to support graduate student research

The USC Leonard Davis School supports graduate student research with T32 training grants. The funding for these competitive grants comes from the National Institute of Aging.

Dalton received T32 funding for one year under the supervision of University Professors Eileen Crimmins and Caleb Finch. As part of the grant, Dalton worked on a project that studied air pollution, stress and aging and coauthored several papers based on the results.

The T32 grant also required Dalton to take a gerontology class co-taught by Crimmins and Finch. “The class incorporated both population- and biology-based aging research that drew on the strengths of each teacher,” Dalton said. “I’m a biologist by training, but the Davis School provided me with a more holistic view in understanding aging.”

Dalton also received a prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service fellowship (F31) from the National Institute of Health. This award funded two years of research in Dr. Curran’s lab.

Opportunities to attend national and international conferences

It is an expectation for PhD students to publish and present their work. Dalton attended conferences at UCLA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In May 2017, Dalton attended the Aging and Mechanisms of Aging-Related Disease Symposium in Yokohama, Japan. “I was very lucky to have the opportunity to travel internationally,” he says. “I presented my work as a poster and savored attending all the talks on the molecular biology of aging.”

Postdoc and beyond

Dalton is currently completing a postdoc in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah. He studies the cellular mechanisms that cause rare genetic diseases called congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDGs). CDGs cause a wide range of neurological and other health problems. Dr. Dalton hopes his work will lead to new therapies for people with CDGs.

With his postdoc coming to an end, Dalton applied to several faculty positions to create his own lab. That meant a lot of applications and interviews, and Curran continued to advise Dalton. “We talked about the interview process on Zoom,” he says. “Dr. Curran and other USC faculty have also written me letters of support for grants. Even at this stage, they continue to help me and are interested in my long-term success.” Thanks in part to their support, Dalton was hired and will be beginning his own lab at the University of Kansas in August 2024.

To learn more about PhD programs at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, call us at (213) 740-5156.

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