The Biological Clean-Ups That Could Combat Age-Related Disease

Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., comments on a novel compound she developed with Evripidis Gavathiotis, Ph.D., that reduces Alzheimer's symptoms in mice. The results are promising, and a clinical trial should follow. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein. Dr. Gavathiotis is professor of biochemistry and of medicine.


Drug that Boosts Brain's Cleansing System Improved Symptoms in Alzheimer's Mouse Model

Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D. and Evripidis Gavathiotis, Ph.D., developed an experimental drug that reinvigorates a cellular cleaning mechanism and reversed key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein. Dr. Gavathiotis is professor of biochemistry and of medicine.


Experimental Drug Boosts Brain Cell Cleaning to Reverse Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms in Mice

Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., discusses her novel drug that revs up a cellular cleaning process and was found to reverse key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein.

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Boosting Blood Stem Cell Housekeeping Reversed Immunity Decline in Aging Mice

Research led by Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., has found that improving autophagy, the process by which cells recycle and remove waste, in blood stem cells can reverse age-related declines in the immune systems of mice—findings that may have relevance for human health. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein.


New York Times interviews Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., about the scientist awarded the Nobel Prize for his discoveries on how cells recycle, known as autophagy. Dr. Cuervo is a leader in this field of research, focusing on chaperone-mediated autophagy. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein.

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The Wall Street Journal


U.S. News & World Report interviews Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., and Nir Barzilai, M.D., about their aging research.  Drs. Cuervo and Barzilai are co-directors of Einstein’s Institute for Aging Research.


Scientific American interviews Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., about her research connecting defective proteins, neurodegenerative diseases and a cellular cleaning process. 


Nature interviews Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., about her research on autophagy, a critical cellular recycling process linked to numerous diseases. Dr. Cuervo’s numerous contributions in the field are detailed, including implicating faulty autophagy in Parkinson’s disease and discovering its role in regulating hunger in the brain and metabolism in the liver. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein.


The Scientist profiles Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., detailing her career path and research in autophagy. The career retrospective follows Dr. Cuervo’s career from her first medical student project in Spain to her arrival at Einstein. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein.


New Parkinson's research led by Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., was highlighted by Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., in his NIH Director's Blog. Dr. Cuervo’s recent study, published in Nature Neuroscience, found that a clog in the cell's protein disposal system may be a cause of the disease. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine and the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein.


Science magazine interviews Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., about recent research on autophaghy, the cell’s natural recycling process that keeps cells cleans and uncluttered. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology and of anatomy and structural biology.


BBC News (UK) features research by Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., that found interrupting the natural recycling process of cells, known as autophagy, stops the growth and spread of cancer. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology and of anatomy and structural biology.

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Europa Press (in Spanish)
Medical News Today
Daily Mirror (UK)
National Cancer Institute


Seattle NPR station KUOW interviews Nir Barzilai, M.D., and Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., about the biology of aging and the genetics of longevity. Dr. Cuervo discussed autophagy, the process of cell regulation, and the role it plays in keeping organs young, potentially leading to longer life spans. Dr. Barzilai discussed his genetic research with centenarians and the importance of discovering the key to healthy aging. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology. Dr. Barzilai is the Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair of Aging Research and director of the Institute for Aging Research.


The New York Times interviews Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., on the self-destructive behaviors of cells and how they may hold the key to longevity. Research suggests that autophagy, the process of cell regulation, could hold the key to preventing disease and lead to longer life spans. Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology.


About.com highlights a $10 million NIH grant Einstein received to study how organs age. A consortium of four researchers led by Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., will examine the molecular processes that contribute to aging. The other members of the Einstein consortium are Laura Santambrogio, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology; Fernando Macian-Juan, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology; and Mark J. Czaja, M.D., professor of medicine.