Welcome to Scientific and Educational Website on Human Longevity !

Unraveling  the  Secrets  of  Human  Longevity

The purpose of our studies:
 
• to understand the mechanisms of aging and longevity in order
• to extend healthy and productive human lifespan.

Table of Contents:

• Who we are

• What we have found and published

• Who supported our studies

• Useful links and resources

• Why do we believe that the scientific breakthrough in longevity studies is possible

• Our response to skeptics

• Our forthcoming presentations

Who we are:

 Dr. Natalia S. Gavrilova
  Center on Aging
  NORC/University of Chicago
  1155 East 60th Street
  Chicago, IL 60637-2745
  Fax: (773) 256-6313
  Phone: (773) 256-6359
  E-mail:  nsgavril@midway.uchicago.edu
  Brief Biographical Sketch
  Detailed Curriculum Vitae
  Expertise Profile: http://myprofile.cos.com/gavrilova
  Statement of Research Interests
 
 

Our collaborators in Russia are:
Galina N. Evdokushkina , M.Sc.,  and  Dr. Victoria G. Semyonova .

We also maintain close scientific contacts with
Dr. Bruce A. Carnes   at the NORC/University of Chicago.
 

What  we  have  found  and  published:
 
 

Our most important publications are:

 

Gavrilov L. A.  and  Gavrilova N. S.
"THE  BIOLOGY  OF  LIFE  SPAN"
NY: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1991, 385 pages
Cited by Encyclopedia Britannica as recommended reference
Table of Contents
Subject Index
References
Reviews of this book

Available at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/3718649837/

http://www.addall.com/Browse/Detail/3718649837.html
http://www.routledge-ny.com/books.cfm?isbn=3718649837
http://www.netstoreusa.com/stbooks/371/3718649837.shtml

http://www.opengroup.com/stbooks/371/3718649837.shtml

Barnes&Noble

 

MUTATION LOAD  AND  HUMAN LONGEVITY Mutation Research, 1997, 377: 61-62. To download full text click here PARENTAL AGE  AT  CONCEPTION  AND  OFFSPRING  LONGEVITY Reviews in Clinical Gerontology , 1997, 7: 5-12. EVOLUTION,  MUTATIONS  AND  HUMAN LONGEVITY Human Biology, 1998, 70: 799-804.  To download full text (1.8 MB) click here SEASON OF BIRTH  AND  HUMAN LONGEVITY Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, 1999, 2(4): 365-366. To download full text click here HUMAN LONGEVITY  AND  PARENTAL AGE  AT CONCEPTION In: Sex and Longevity . Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2000, pp.7-31. EPIDEMIOLOGY  OF  HUMAN LONGEVITY:  THE  SEARCH  FOR  APPROPRIATE  METHODOLOGY Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, 2001, 4(1): 13-30. To download full text click here BIODEMOGRAPHIC STUDY  OF  FAMILIAL DETERMINANTS  OF  HUMAN LONGEVITY Population: An English Selection, 2001, 13(1): 197-222. This article is also published in French: ETUDE  BIODEMOGRAPHIQUE  DES  DETERMINANTS  FAMILIAUX  DE  LA  LONGEVITE  HUMAINE , Population, 2001, 56(1-2): 225-252. WHEN  DOES  HUMAN LONGEVITY  START?: DEMARCATION  OF  THE  BOUNDARIES  FOR  HUMAN LONGEVITY Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, 2001, 4(2): 115-124. Abstract To download full text click here THE  RELIABILITY THEORY  OF  AGING  AND  LONGEVITY Journal of Theoretical Biology, 2001, 213(4): 527-545.  Abstract To download full text click here For Press Release click here For Media Coverage click here EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES  OF  AGING  AND  LONGEVITY TheScientificWorldJOURNAL, 2002, 2: 339-356.  http://www.thescientificworld.com/ To download full text in pdf format click here or here To download full text in HTML format click here or here THE  QUEST  FOR  THE  THEORY  OF  HUMAN LONGEVITY The Actuary, 2002, 36(5): 10-13. To download full text click here

For more detailed list of our published findings please click here

For more publications available for downloading please click here

Who  supported  our  studies:

• National Institute on Aging (3 NIA grants)

• International Science Foundation ('Soros Foundation', 4 research grants)

• European Union (INTAS grant )

• Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF grant)

• People like you (private persons and organizations)

We would also like to acknowledge the important moral support for our research work (strong letters of recommendation, encouraging published reviews of our work, etc.) provided by:

• James R. Carey , University of California, Davis
• Brian Charlesworth , University of Edinburgh, UK
• Nicholas Christakis ,  now at Harvard Medical School
• James F. Crow , Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Caleb E. Finch , University of Southern California
• Thomas E. Johnson , University of Colorado at Boulder
• Nathan Keyfitz , IIASA, Austria (now retired in USA)
• George M. Martin , University of Washington, Seattle
• George S. Roth , Gerontology Research Center, NIA, Baltimore
• Marc Tatar, Brown University, Providence
• James N. Thompson , Department of Zoology, U of Oklahoma
• Roy L. Walford ,  UCLA Professor (now in Venice, CA)
• Ronald C. Woodruff , Bowling Green State University, Ohio
• F. Eugene Yates, University of California, Los Angeles

Finally, we would like to acknowledge stimulating working environment at the Center on Aging , NORC/University of Chicago that allows us to conduct our research.  We are particularly grateful to Linda J. Waite  and William L. Parish  for their support of our studies at the Center on Aging.

If  you  would  like  to  support  our  studies,  please  contact  us  at:

Useful Links  and  Resources:
 

• We are teaching the following course (219/319) at the University of Chicago:

• For Data Resources to study human longevity click here .

• For Coverage of our Research Findings
  • by Science click here or here (pdf)
  • by Sunday Times London click here or here (pdf)
  • by The Scientist click here
  • by NORC News click here

• For Breaking News items please click the "News" button on the left column at the LA-GRG website .

• For Recommended Books on aging and longevity click here .

• For Who is Who in Gerontology click here .

• For list of Human Longevity Records click here .

• Other links:

AASA
Anti-Aging Science Award project

Center for Population Economics
Studies on the role of early-life events in health outcomes later in life

ImAginE
European Research Project on Immunology and Ageing

SAGE KE
Science of Aging Knowledge Environment

SYSEV
Systems aging in biology, cosmology, creep of materials, and organized physical systems
 
 

• Additional links
   
• Websites that link to us

Why  do  we  believe  that  the  scientific  breakthrough  in  longevity  studies  is  possible
 

Short Answer:

Numerous studies demonstrate that many manifestations of aging can be postponed or even reversed, and that lifespan can be significantly extended in experimental animals.  Moreover, our own studies found remarkable plasticity of human longevity (see above), and suggest that there may be a significant potential for further extension of human lifespan.

Supporting citation from Nature (2000, vol.408, p.261):
"The field of ageing research has been completely transformed in the past decade. … When single genes are changed, animals that should be old stay young.  In humans, these mutants would be analogous to a ninety year old who looks and feels forty-five.  On this basis we begin to think of ageing as a disease that can be cured, or at least postponed. … The field of ageing is beginning to explode, because so many are so excited about the prospect of searching for -- and finding -- the causes of ageing, and maybe even thhe fountain of youth itself."
Cited from: Guarente, L., and Kenyon, C. (2000) Genetic pathways that regulate ageing in model organisms. Nature 408, 255-262.
 

Detailed Answer:
 

This part is under construction.  Meanwhile, click here
 

We believe that the prospects for life extension depend on our own behavior by the mechanism of self-fulfilling prophecy.

For example, if we convince ourselves and the public that nothing could be done and/or should be done with aging ("tampering with aging"), the outcome is clear.  On the other hand, commitment of this nation already made possible several fantastic projects in the past (like the flight to the Moon), so why should we consider this generation less capable to great achievements?

We believe that the main challenge for accomplishing the life extension revolution is the mobilization of the nation and public support  for relevant research projects. From this perspective, the recent attempts to discredit anti-aging research efforts and to present them as a kind of scientific porn should be taken very seriously and, in our opinion, these attempts should not to be endorsed.  Moreover, we suggest to establish the Anti-Aging Science Award in order to stimulate legitimate anti-aging scientific studies and public support for them.
 

Recommended Reading:

Scientific peer-reviewed Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine
    This journal has distinguished Editorial Board including researchers from the National Institute on Aging (Drs. Vilhelm Bohr, Mark Lane, and Donald Ingram,  some of them are also the authors in this journal): http://www.liebertpub.com/pagedisplay/editorialboard.asp?id=27
  The journal is indexed in the "Web of Science," "Current Contents/Clinical Medicine," "SciSearch," "Research Alert" and "Focus on Pharmacology."  More information about this journal is available at: http://www.catchword.com/titles/10945458.htm
    The journal is published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., a major New York Publisher of more than 40 scientific and medical journals:  http://www.liebertpub.com/
     Therefore, consider submitting your manuscripts to this journal and informing your librarian about it for possible subscription: http://www.liebertpub.com/recform.asp?pubID=27

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR MAIN SCIENTIFIC WEBSITE :
"Longevity Science: Unraveling the Secrets of Human Longevity & Aging"
http://longevity-science.org