Every organ and tissue progressively loses function as it ages, but aging tissues retain a latent capacity for rejuvenation. A new study, led by Wyss Institute Core Faculty member George Church, used gene expression data and machine learning to develop a novel “transcriptomic age predictor,” which pinpoints the “transcriptional age” of cells. Using this predictor as a readout in an over-expression screen, the team identified the RNA processing factor SRSF1and demonstrated that it can rejuvenate several “hallmarks of aging,” and significantly increase the healthspan and lifespan of aged mice. 

SUNY Polytechnic Institute Assistant Professor of Accounting Dr. Katie Matt, collaborating with Daniel Hebert of Syracuse University, has published new research examining fraud in the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a key COVID-19 relief initiative for small businesses. Using publicly prosecuted fraud cases, the researchers found that limited oversight and verification procedures enabled widespread abuse, including the use of falsified financial records, fictitious businesses, and weak application screening processes. The research underscores the challenge of balancing the rapid distribution of emergency aid with accountability safeguards that protect taxpayer resources and ensure assistance reaches intended recipients. Their findings offer practical recommendations for policymakers designing future disaster and economic relief programs.

During pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, families may require a range of healthcare, counselling and support services, but in Estonia these do not always form a coherent whole. Silja Mets-Oja, who defended her PhD at Tallinn University, charted the bottlenecks so that, in the future, access to support would not depend on a woman’s place of residence, her ability to navigate a complex system, or the initiative of a single specialist.

Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Precision Behavioral Health at UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences, has secured a five-year, $12 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to investigate how changes in the brain’s energy supply affect memory, mood, and Alzheimer’s disease risk, and explore treatments and lifestyle strategies that could help people maintain brain health as they age.   

A new commentary on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in healthcare makes an urgent plea to physicians.

A new study from researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City found that starting an advanced medication earlier for critically ill patients with life-threatening septic shock does not improve their survival, shorten hospital stays, or improve their recovery compared with waiting until their condition potentially worsens. These new research findings provide clinicians with important evidence to guide best-practice treatment decisions for patients with septic shock, a severe form of sepsis that causes dangerously low blood pressure and contributes to an estimated one in three hospital deaths nationwide.