by Leigh MacMillan
Mukesh Jain, MD, vice dean for Academic Affairs and Medical Sciences and professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, will discuss the discovery of aging-related disease genes and pathways during the next web-based Discovery Lecture.
Jain’s lecture, “Insights into Aging and Age-related Disorders,” is on Thursday, March 11, at 4 p.m. via Zoom. All participants need to register in advance to receive the webinar instructions.
Jain, who is also Chief Academic Officer of University Hospitals Health System and Chief Scientific Officer of the Harrington Discovery Institute, is recognized for pioneering studies of Krüppel-like factors (KLFs). KLFs are a family of transcription factors that control gene expression for a wide array of cellular functions.
Studies in the nematode worm C. elegans have established that KLFs control lifespan and healthspan, and in mammalian systems, studies show that KLFs are central regulators of the immune and metabolic systems.
Jain will discuss the example of KLF2. Animals missing KLF2 in immune cells are susceptible to chronic inflammation, metabolic disease, heart failure and dementia with age, suggesting KLF2 as a therapeutic target for age-related disorders.
Jain is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), American Association of Physicians and Association of University Cardiologists. He is the 2015 recipient of the Judah Folkman Award in Vascular Biology and a past president of the ASCI.
Jain’s lecture is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program. For a complete schedule of Discovery Lectures, archived video of previous lectures, and the webinar registration link, go to https://www.vumc.org/dls/.
