4 replies to this topic

[ImmortalSpace]

I switched my major to biochemistry I want to be on the front line of aging reserch, is this a good choice or should I add molec Bio too. I'll do whatever it takes

[Danail Bulgaria]

The biochemical processes in the cell are not yet fully researched, as far as I know. On the other side the biochemical processes is a good place to search for immortality. Solving the biochemical puzzle of the cells, especially the brain cells, may be the key to the immortality. 

[niner]

Biochemistry and molecular biology are both reasonable choices.   The two things you want to do as an undergrad are to get the prerequisite / background courses that allow you a wide range of later options, and to figure out what you want to do next.  A good way to figure out what you want to do is to rotate through different labs, working on projects that give you a taste for what each lab does.   You might want to figure out who are the scientists working in the field that you might like to work for as a graduate student.  Because the field is new, there's a very good chance that no one at your current school is involved directly in curing aging.   If you find someone that you think is doing interesting work, you could send them email and ask them what kind of background they would find useful.

[ImmortalSpace]

Biochemistry and molecular biology are both reasonable choices.   The two things you want to do as an undergrad are to get the prerequisite / background courses that allow you a wide range of later options, and to figure out what you want to do next.  A good way to figure out what you want to do is to rotate through different labs, working on projects that give you a taste for what each lab does.   You might want to figure out who are the scientists working in the field that you might like to work for as a graduate student.  Because the field is new, there's a very good chance that no one at your current school is involved directly in curing aging.   If you find someone that you think is doing interesting work, you could send them email and ask them what kind of background they would find useful.

 

Great idea, i'll definitely do that once I'm done. Considering emailing Aubrey De Grey or the other researcher with the resveratrol study (forgot his name) - can't wait til that day.
 

[Darryl]

Most faculty in experimental gerontology have available CVs. Looking mostly at the contributors to two notable reviews ("Hallmarks of Aging", and "Interventions to Slow Aging in Humans: Are We Ready?"), you'll note a wide variety of biological undergrad degrees are stepping stones. The main consideration is getting into the lab of an important researcher in the field for your grad work. Look at the the professors at your school - if any are doing interesting work in fields tangentally related to aging (chronic diseases like neurodegeneration or diabetes), see about working part time in one.

 

                      B.S./M.S.      doctoral

Adam Antebi           biochemistry   biology

Nir Barzilai                         MD

Maria A. Blasco       biochem        molecular biology

Holly M. Brown-Borg   animal sci.    physiology

Calogero Caruso       pathology      pathology

Tyler J. Curiel       chemistry      MD/MPH

Rafael de Cabo        cell&mol       nutrition

Claudio Franceschi                   MD

Luigi Fontana                        MD/PhD metabolism

David Gems            biochemistry   PhD genetics

Donald K. Ingram      psychology     PhD psychology/gerontology

Brian K. Kennedy      math/cell&mol  PhD biology

Cynthia Kenyon        chem/biochem

Samuel Klein                         MD/MA nutritional biochem

John J. Kopchick      biology        PhD virology/biomedical

Guido Kroemer                        MD/Phd molecular biology

Valter D. Longo       biochem        biochem

Frank Madeo           biochem        

Linda Partridge       biology

Giuseppe Passarino    biology        genetics

Gerald S. Shadel      chemistry

David A. Sinclair                    molecular genetics

Yousin Suh            biology        biochemical & biophysical sciences

Jan Vijg                             experimental gerontology

Manlio Vinciguerra    biomedical     internal medicine

 

 

EDIT: mind, recommendations may be entirely different if you're interested in the SENS/engineering approaches. Some schools have biomedical engineering degrees, though at my school that meant chem engineering students using none of their undergrad focus on scaling up chemical reactions, and instead doing things like 3D printing scaffolding for external ear prostheses. 

Edited by Darryl, 03 August 2015 - 10:31 PM.