One of the world’s most-acclaimed scientists will be at UNMC on Friday, April 30, to deliver the Third Annual Denham Harman, M.D., Ph.D., Lectureship in Biomedical Gerontology.
Bruce Ames, Ph.D., professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and senior research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, will give the lectureship on Friday. His presentation, titled, “A Role for Supplements in Optimizing Health and Delaying Aging: The Metabolic Tune-up,” will begin at noon in the Eppley Science Hall amphitheater.
“Dr. Ames is truly outstanding, and I use that in the full sense of the word,” said Dr. Harman, a professor emeritus of internal medicine at UNMC. “That’s the reason he has received so many medals and has been invited to speak at so many conferences and universities. I’m delighted to have him here, and I’m very much interested in the topics that he’ll be addressing.”
Dr. Ames’ work builds on that of Dr. Harman, who in 1954 theorized that free radicals were largely responsible for the aging process. Today, the free-radical theory is the most widely accepted model of aging. The free radicals are highly reactive molecules that are freed in the normal chemical processes of living. Unattached free radicals bond with other molecules, stripping them of electrons. The electron-stripping process is called oxidation.
Dr. Ames has led a group that has found that aging may be caused, chiefly, when oxidants alter mitochondrial function in cells. Dr. Ames’ group found that the mitochondria of old rats, when compared to young rats, were found to be impaired in many ways.
“With age, mitochondria begin putting out more oxygen radicals, which impairs energy production,” Dr. Ames said. “We’ve figured out how to reverse that.”
Dr. Ames’ group has done that by feeding old rats the normal mitochondrial metabolites, acetyl carnitine and lipoic acid. The group is investigating the effect of these metabolites on lifespan and brain function, and is exploring the extension of their studies to humans.
Dr. Ames’ credentials are impressive. Among dozens of honors and awards, he has received the National Medal of Science and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His over 450 publications have resulted in his being among the few hundred most-cited scientists (in all fields).
Dr. Harman has studied the aging process, searching for ways to extend the healthy life span, throughout his career. He joined the UNMC faculty in 1958. In 1973, he became the chairman of the UNMC section of geriatrics/gerontology, the first of its kind in the United States. His research has led to international recognition. In 2000, he was recognized as one of 40 outstanding Stanford Medical School graduates during the past century, and in 2003 he received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the UNMC College of Medicine.