Cynthia Kenyon, A Short Profile

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As a part of their annual awards, Discover is recognizing Cynthia Kenyon for her work in extending life span through genetic manipulation. "In 1993 Kenyon discovered mutant C. elegans that lived twice their normal life span of 20 days. She found the cause of their longevity: a gene called daf-2 had been turned down. She also discovered that another gene, called daf-16, promotes youthful vitality. Stimulated by this work, other researchers found that similar genes in fruit flies and mice control aging. These days Kenyon, a molecular biologist at the University of California at San Francisco, is investigating how to postpone aging in humans." Postponing aging means postponing age-related disease and frailty - a very worthwhile goal.

Link: http://www.discover.com/issues/nov-04/features/discover-awards/basic-research/