Dr. Amy Vandiver, assistant professor of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and investigator at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, received a Burroughs Wellcome Fund award, which supports early-career physician-scientists to help advance their independent academic careers.
Vandiver is one of 12 physician-scientists selected nationwide to receive the organization's Career Award for Medical Scientists, a $700,000 award distributed over five years. The funding will support Vandiver’s research focused on uncovering the biological mechanisms that drive aging and identifying new strategies to target them before they contribute to functional decline with aging and age-induced diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disease.
As part of this work, Vandiver is investigating how damage to mitochondrial DNA influences aging and age-related tissue dysfunction. Mitochondria, often referred to as the cell's powerhouses, contain their own genetic material that can accumulate mutations over time. Her work examines how cells with high levels of mitochondrial DNA damage alter their metabolism, interact with surrounding tissues and contribute to the aging process.
Using advanced genomic and cellular analysis tools, Vandiver will study aging human tissues to identify unique vulnerabilities in cells with mitochondrial DNA damage. By uncovering the biological pathways these cells depend on for survival, her team hopes to identify potential targets for therapies designed to selectively remove dysfunctional cells while preserving healthy tissue.
"Aging is the biggest risk factor for many of the diseases we treat. Over the past decade, our field has learned so much about what molecular changes are associated with tissue aging. We now need to move this knowledge towards actionable interventions," said Vandiver, who is also a member of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center. "This support will allow us to ask questions that weren't previously possible and clarify targets for intervention to keep tissues healthier as we grow older."
