A pair of early-career scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have received fellowships to study conditions that accompany aging.
Hongyang Xu, Ph.D., and Walker Hoolehan, Ph.D., were 2 of the 12 scientists chosen from 250 applicants for the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships. The one-year fellowships each come with $75,000 to fund the scientists’ research.
In partnership with the American Foundation for Aging Research, Glenn Fellowships support scientists who have obtained their doctorates and whose research could directly improve the human aging process. Each fellowship covers the researcher’s salary and expenses like supplies, educational expenditures and travel to scientific meetings.
Xu will study molecules called bioactive lipid mediators. As we age, changes in these molecules are believed to be connected to muscle loss and weakness – a condition known as sarcopenia.
“This will be the first in-depth study to look specifically at this,” Xu said. “Understanding how these changes occur may help us develop an intervention to prevent sarcopenia in aging adults.”
Hoolehan will investigate how DNA changes during aging, how those changes differ between specific types of brain cells, and their association with cognitive dysfunction. Ultimately, he hopes to develop new therapies for age-related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
“This is my first grant,” Hoolehan said. “When I received the notification, my first reaction was disbelief. I’m excited to do more cool science.”
