Xiao Tian Lab

While our life expectancy continues to increase, most of us do not live the human lifespan potential of around 120 years. A crueler reality is many of us confront age-related challenges as early as our 60s or 70s, with half of us not being able to see our 80th birthday. Biologically (excluding external factors like wars, pandemics, accidents, or suicides), age-related diseases cause over 50% of human deaths, while the rest are largely due to aging itself. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of aging—especially their roles in driving age-related diseases—is crucial for advancing interventions and therapies for a prolonged and healthy life.

Three seminal questions drive the aging research: What is aging? Why do we age? And how to intervene? The last thirty years of research have delineated at least twelve hallmarks of aging, shedding light on the “what” at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. Yet, challenging questions remain: Why do these hallmarks happen in the first place? How to most effectively modulate the aging process? Can we prevent, delay, or treat age-related conditions by targeting aging? These overarching questions shape the direction of our research.