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Oct 05

Starvation-Induced Cellular Defense Mechanisms Shed Light on Lifespan Research

By Featured, Lifespan Health, Mitochondria

New research by a team at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology into how organisms respond to lack of nutrition could have a far-reaching impact on how we understand obesity and longevity and potentially fight chemotherapy-resistant cancer.

Published in Cell Metabolism, the paper details a discovery made in the lab of Sean Curran, assistant professor of biogerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Curran’s lab looked at how proteins in our bodies respond to starvation, in particular a protein known as SKN-1 that binds to DNA and affects how the starvation response is mediated. (Nrf is the mammalian equivalent of SKN-1.)

The Curran lab’s finding that, in the presence of a starvation environment, cells initiate and regulate complex metabolic changes, sheds fascinating new light into the study of existing cellular mechanisms as well as opening the door for exciting intracellular bioengineering possibilities.

Curran and his team also found that although a mitochondrial pool of SKN-1 has never previously been identified, it is indeed present, most likely in the outer membrane of the mitochondria — they term this discovery mito-SKN-1.

“The regulation of lifespan is complex. SKN-1/Nrf were discovered decades ago, but this work uncovers a novel role for this well established player,” Curran said. “This discovery changes how we think about how transcription factors are regulated.”

Using a roundworm known as C. elegans, Curran and his lab studied how complex organisms responded on a cellular level to being starved.

They focused on the interaction of proteins PGAM-5 and MXL-3 with mitochondrial pools of SKN-1. Although most starved C. elegans were able to recover and achieve fertile adulthood when reintroduced to food, specially mutated worms were unable to turn off the body’s starvation response even in nutrient-rich environments – highlighting key molecular and physiological genetic differences of special interest to scientists.

“This starvation response has a huge impact on nutrient pathways that regulate lifespan and survival,” Curran said. “Although the amount of SKN-1 did not seem to make a difference, it’s the activated form of SKN-1 that matters.”

His team also found a correlation to the SKN-1 effects in mice when their activated Nrf similarly induced a starvation response. The team’s discovery has enormous potential repercussions when extrapolated to Nrf-positive tumors, which tend to be resistant to chemotherapy.

“By exploiting this starvation response, we might be able to think of new treatments,” Curran said.

This publication represents both a scientific and personal milestone for Curran, who holds joint appointments at the USC Leonard Davis School and in molecular and computational biology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as well as in biochemistry and molecular biology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC.

“Combining genetic, cell and molecular biology, and biochemistry approaches, this the first major publication from the Curran lab,” he said. “I am really proud of it.”

Co-authors of this study were Jennifer Paek and Tammy N. Nguyen (USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology); Jacqueline Y. Lo (Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science); Sri Devi Narasimhan, Kira Glover-Cutter, Stacey Robida-Stubbs and T. Keith Blackwell (Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Harvard Medical School); and Takafumi Suzuki (Tohoku University School of Medicine, Japan).

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants number R01GM6289 and R00AG032308) and the Ellison Medical Foundation.

Sep 27

Standing Together to Prevent Falls

By Featured

“United we stand, divided we fall” isn’t just a patriotic slogan – it’s also the rallying cry of Californians who joined forces with USC’s Fall Prevention Center of Excellence to celebrate the fifth annual Fall Prevention Awareness Week.

Standing united the first week of autumn (September 22-28, 2012), California’s fall prevention coalitions, health care providers, and senior service agencies held presentations, health fairs, screenings and workshops to raise awareness about the seriousness of falls and ways to reduce fall risk.

It’s always a good time to prevent falls, however, and USC’s Fall Prevention Center of Excellence has many resources and tips to help.

  • View The Falling Monologues, a series of humorous and educational performances about common fall risks and ways to reduce them, written and directed by Marilyn Faber and performed by older actors.

For older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths, unintentional injuries, and hospital admissions for trauma. Most falls among older adults happen in and around the home, but there are some simple and inexpensive ways to eliminate hazards:

  •  Remove throw rugs: Throw rugs are a common trip hazard and should be removed. If you can move a rug with your foot, you could trip over it, too. Secure all rugs to the floor with rug grippers, which can be found at a home improvement store.
  •  Keep pathways clear: Make sure there are clear walking pathways by picking up clutter and relocating to storage areas, coiling up and securing electric cords to the floor or wall and rearranging furniture if necessary.
  • Light the way: Make sure all rooms, hallways and stairways are well lit. Put a lamp in an easy-to-reach place by the bed and use nightlights to illuminate the path between your bedroom and bathroom. Be aware of uneven surfaces such as thresholds in doorways or when there are changes in flooring such as between carpeting and linoleum.
Sep 21

An Award-Winning Advocate and Ally

By Featured, Student Profile

Helping older adults has been USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology graduate student Brenda M. Vázquez’s day job for almost a decade, but she prides herself on continuing to search for new avenues and opportunities to serve.

In the past two years alone, she co-produced On the Move, a reality television show aimed at helping older Angelenos become physically active. She served as an advisor to the California State Libraries Association to create a health education toolkit for librarians to more efficiently serve the public. Vázquez also designed a pilot e-health promotion program, the Exergamers Wellness Club, to engage older adults in “playful” physical activity and self-care using technology, which won the top 2012 innovation award from the National Association of Senior Centers.

As the director of disease prevention and health promotion programs at Partners in Care Foundation, she has led numerous projects to enhance the health status and quality of life for older adults in Los Angeles, including the first implementation of evidence-based health promotion programs in Los Angeles senior centers. In light of her accomplishments and professional potential, Vázquez recently received a career development grant from the American Association of University Women, a national network dedicated to advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research.

“The AAUW award means a great deal to me as I prepare to take on formal research moving forward in my career,” she said. “Over the years, working with some of the most talented and committed professionals, we have conceptualized and implemented a variety of well received health innovation programs. I’m very proud of the work we’ve done in developing culturally appealing programs that engage and retain older participants.”

Vázquez joined Partners in Care in 2003 with the charge to start up a citywide health promotion program—the Wellness Club—under contract to the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging.

The program provides preventative clinical screenings, functional fitness assessments and evidence based health promotion programs to 16 senior centers and numerous community-based sites. The Wellness Club benefits from the guidance of a distinguished group of professionals in geriatrics and gerontology, including such experts as, Mary Cadogan, DrPH, from UCLA’s School of Nursing, Alison Moore, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine, and Dennee Frey, PharmD, a USC-affiliated pharmacist. Now in its tenth year, the program has grown to serve more than 6,000 elder residents annually across diverse neighborhoods, including demonstrated success reaching the city’s Spanish- and Chinese-speaking elders as well as the aging African-American community.

“Cultural sensitivity and adaptive capacity are at the heart of the program’s success,” she said. “We tailor outreach and engagement to variables such as health status, location, language, literacy, values, culture, consumer interests and functional abilities.”

Her most recent innovation with the Wellness Club is a new program that pairs the video game system Kinect for Xbox 360 with evidence-based health education in order to help older adults “play” their way to increased physical activity and social engagement. Inspired by the program’s success, Vázquez will partner with the USC Leonard Davis School’s Kate Wilber, PhD, to conduct further directed research.

Another area Vázquez has been involved in is workforce development and training. As part of this initiative, her team took on a major role in coordinating the Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium (GSWEC), co-founded by Partners in Care Foundation’s CEO, June Simmons.

GSWEC is a unique model of collaboration between schools and agencies and allowed them to begin an internship program whose first intern was—Vázquez noted proudly—a USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology grad student.

“A field placement at Partners in Care or any of the other excellent agencies within GSWEC offers unique hands-on experiences for students planning to go into a range of leadership and professional roles in health and human services,” Vázquez said. “We are committed to educating the geriatric health, human services, social workers and gerontologists of the future.”

As she helps train the next generation of gerontologists and geriatric social workers while pushing herself and her colleagues to continually innovate on behalf of older Angelenos, Vázquez is also continuing her own academic and professional growth.

“I hope to bring my work to publication during my tenure at USC,” she said. “I am grateful and excited to collaborate with the many wonderfully talented and supportive professionals I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years at Partners in Care as well as here at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.”

Sep 13

Chinese Connection

By Featured

A longtime academic and professional partner to many experts, students and employers in China, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology made the influential newspaper Ta Kung Pao, the oldest active Chinese-language newspaper in China.

Covering high-profile visits by the USC Leonard Davis School’s Dean Pinchas Cohen, MD, Associate Dean Maria Henke, Dean Emeritus Edward Schneider, MD and Director of International Student Initiatives, May Ng, the newspaper gave an overview of the School’s mission, offerings and upcoming appearances at IIE U.S. Higher Education Fairs in Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong.

“An education from the USC Leonard Davis School is a true global passport,” said Ng, a native of Hong Kong.  “It will allow graduates to provide life-changing services, support and initiatives for their clients and their country—every country.”

Meeting with a slew of officials, including Administrative Vice Minister of Education Du Yubo and Vice President of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Li Shenming, USC Leonard Davis School administrators point to Asia as the area of the world where the aging revolution will have the most immediate and dramatic impact.

“By 2050, there will be more than 400 million Chinese citizens over the age of 60,” said Cohen. “Asia represents enormous gerontological challenges and opportunities, and we are proud to further our goal of improving the quality of life for all the world’s older adults of today as well as of tomorrow.”

To read the article (in Chinese), visit: http://paper.takung.cn/html/2012-09/07/content_22_1.htm

Aug 27

Congratulations!

By Featured

Lifelong Trojan and USC Leonard Davis School mainstay Linda Broder won the Staff Monthly Recognition Award from USC’s Staff Assembly and Staff Club.

The award, given to individuals who exhibit constant and dedicated service while making a genuine contribution to the quality of life at USC, comes during an auspicious time for Broder, who celebrates her 40th year at USC and her 37th at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology/Andrus Gerontology Center.

“I am grateful for and humbled by this recognition,” Broder said. “It has been my honor to serve the students, staff, faculty and friends of the USC Leonard Davis School, and I look forward to many more adventures at this wonderful institution.”

A key support staff member who is frequently the first point of contact for anyone getting in touch with the School, Broder is also the coordinator of the Andrus Volunteers, a group of older adults who are committed to promoting and enriching the study of aging by offering their perspectives, time and support.

“Linda Broder is always available for help and doesn’t give up until she finds an answer for anyone who comes to her,” said Andrus Volunteer Muriel Rothenberg. “She brings empathy to her position. We all know and appreciate Linda for her support.”

“Linda is the glue that has held together the efforts of the Center from its inception. She is an integral staff member with knowledge and ability that transcends generations,” said USC Leonard Davis doctoral student Patrick Beck. “Never has there been a person in the building with a bigger smile or warmer heart.”

“In many ways, Linda is the heart of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology,” said IT director May Ng. “It is a wonderful testament to her impact on so many lives that she is recognized with this award.”

At the next general meeting of the USC Staff Assembly, Broder will receive a check from the USC Staff Club and a framed certificate of appreciation signed by USC President C.L. Max Nikias.

According to colleagues and comrades-in-arms, Broder’s exceptional reputation and decades of selfless service made her a natural for this award.

“Linda Border is not only my supervisor, but also a dear friend,” said grad student and assistant coordinator of the Andrus Volunteers Elena Gonzalez. “I am in awe of all that she does for our School. She dedicates the overwhelming majority of her time to making others feel special and appreciated.”

“Although she never draws attention to herself and her countless good deeds, we are all proud to see Linda Broder honored,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “Besides being a model employee, Linda inspires us all with her compassion, cheerfulness and tireless dedication to all the best USC Trojan ideals.”

Aug 24

Welcome, Students!

By Featured, Students

Faculty and staff gathered together to welcome students, returning and brand-new, to the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology on Thursday, August 23.

“I’m just as new as many of you freshmen—I’ve only been here six weeks. Our School is already fantastic, but I want to make it the greatest school ever,” said dean Pinchas Cohen, MD “I wish everyone good luck and a great beginning.”

Briefly discussing their research and classes taught, members of the faculty offered their own encouragement as well to the students.

“I want to teach you all how to advocate for your parents and grandparents after a hospitalization,” said John Walsh, PhD “The USC Leonard Davis School is a great launching pad for your next step, whatever it may be. We are all your advisors—we’ve all been there.”

“I work to address issues facing vulnerable elders who need support of some kind: social services, health care, wellness initiatives, economic security,” said Kathleen Wilber, PhD “ I study all the things we need to serve the aging society we have and how those get integrated to serve an individual holistically. I look forward to getting the chance to work with you.”

“It’s amazing for me to think I graduated from the first class offering the Master of Science in Gerontology in 1977, so in 1976 I was sitting out there in the audience just like you guys are today,” said Cheryl Svensson, PhD “Along with James Birren, PhD, I teach Psychological Development through Autobiography, which helps you find out who you are in the sense of where you’ve been and where you’re going by looking inside.”

After the faculty’s introductions, representatives from the Student Gerontology Association (SGA) and the School’s newest student organization, Gerontology, Allies and You (GAY) spoke.

USC Leonard Davis School Students Elena Gonzalez, Patrick Beck, and Morgan Levine

“Our goal is to explore issues unique to LGBT aging and to help raise awareness,” said GAY founder and grad student Brian Gilad Wilson. “We welcome LGBT members as well as our straight allies. I’d especially like to thank Associate Dean Maria Henke for helping us get started. Maria rocks!”

The program closed with Aaron Hagedorn, PhD, discussing several potential internship opportunities before all the students introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their interests.

Coming from Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota and California as well as from Jamaica, China, Japan and Thailand, the new students were united in their desire to help improve the quality of life for all the world’s older adults, and their enthusiasm to start the school year.

“Ever since I started working as a receptionist in an assisted living facility, I knew I wanted to make a difference for older adults,” said Sam Moghaddamfar, an incoming grad student. “I chose the USC Leonard Davis School because it’s the oldest and best school of gerontology in the world, and I’m so excited to begin.”

Aug 14

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

By Featured, Student Profile

While many students might consider summer a time to take it easy, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology PhD candidate Jeff Laguna spent his taking advantage of several prestigious enrichment opportunities.

Over the summer, Laguna received two high-profile awards, the first from the AcademyHealth/Aetna Foundation and the second from The Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP).

“It’s a wonderful honor to receive recognition and support from SMEP and AcademyHealth,” Laguna said. “Both opportunities provided by these organizations are uniquely different, yet each further contributes to my development as an academic and as a health services researcher.”

For the first award, Laguna was chosen to be one of 15 national AcademyHealth/Aetna Foundation Minority Scholars who traveled to Orlando to attend the group’s Annual Research Meeting, a string of Methods Workshops and the Disparities Interest Group Annual Meeting.

The latter honor was a fellowship to enable Laguna to attend a quantitative analysis workshop at the Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis at the University of Kansas. It offered him further training in cutting-edge methodology and data analysis while also offering additional support for his research on healthcare disparities and hospice/palliative care.

“I’m excited to apply the skills, experiences and connections gained from these opportunities to my studies at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology,” he said. “What I learned this summer has already made a big difference in my research, development and perspective, and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Aug 13

Success Story

By Alumni, Featured

Finding a job, especially in this economy, can be daunting for many new grads, but thanks to his creativity, training and support from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, recent alum Peter Lancellotti is living his dream.

After graduating with his graduate certificate this past summer, Lancellotti started a new career in business development with Blue Marble Game Company, becoming the company’s resident gerontologist.

“We are creating an innovative, comprehensive and cost-savings digital health game ecosystem,” he said. “Our strategy is to combine the strengths of empirical evidence with entertainment to provide a low cost method of therapy for health and wellness.”

Part of what attracted Lancellotti to Blue Marble was their focus on creating fun video games that could serve as valuable cognitive and physical therapy tools, especially the development of a suite of games aimed directly at helping with fall prevention.

“Helping older adults age in place is paramount in my personal and career goals. Another aspect of my gerontological goal is a strong desire to help older adults obtain and maintain health/wellness, while improving their quality of life,” he said. “My education at the USC Leonard Davis School has also afforded me the opportunity to educate a software development company to ensure that the design matches the needs of older adults.”

Crediting his mentors at the USC Leonard Davis School for their assistance, particularly Elizabeth Zelinski, PhD, Lancellotti advised students and job-seekers to focus on networking proactively and creatively as a key element to making the sometimes-rocky post-academic transition.

“Talk to everybody about what you want and what you do,” he said. “For example, if it weren’t for Dr. Zelinski, I would have never met the CEO of Blue Marble Game Company.”

With more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing for the telecom and technology industries before he decided to return to school, Lancellotti was initially drawn to gerontology so that he could better understand the needs of his older partner as well as his mother. Born out of this interest came his increasing desire to help improve the health and wellbeing of all older adults despite the numerous limitations, obstacles and difficulties they may face.

“Blue Marble is working to provide solutions to all of these concerns by offering a method to provide low-cost healthcare through the use of video games that are highly motivating and thereby improving adherence, allowing remote access and easy communication with therapists after discharge,” he said. “Not to mention, the games are motivating and fun!”

With the opening of this new chapter, Lancellotti is proud to get one step closer to fulfilling his personal dream of reaching his full professional potential, and points to his alma mater as a crucial step in helping him achieve it.

“The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has the best program in the U.S. and quite probably the world,” he said. “Having internationally renowned professors at the top of their field, I received the highest level of expertise and an educational experience unmatched by any university in an environment that fosters and cultivates creativity.”

Peter Lancellotti

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