June 05, 2014
Researcher receives grant to study aging gene
A research scientist at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a two-year federal grant from the National Institutes Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to study a potential aging gene. The total budget for the grant is $147,500.
Dr. Rong Yuan, assistant professor of geriatric research in the Department of Internal Medicine, is the principal investigator for the project.
The study will use genetic data from animal models to test a potential candidate gene, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 2 (Pcsk2), as a novel regulatory candidates gene for female sexual maturation, or FSM.
The results of this research will help establish a foundation for scientists investigating FSM and related diseases, as well as the aging process itself.
This is the third NIA grant awarded for Yuan’s research, which is focused on aging and longevity.
Yuan joined SIU's faculty in 2012. He received his medical degree and doctorate from Shanghai Second Medical University in China (2000), a master’s degree in surgery (1997) and bachelor’s degree in medicine (1993), from Chinese Southeast University in Nanjing, China.