Dr. Longhua Guo named a 2024 Pew Scholar

Congrats to Dr. Longhua Guo for being named a 2024 Pew Scholar to support his research on the molecular and cellular processes that reverse tissue aging.

The Guo lab studies freshwater flatworms called planaria are extremely long-lived and famed for the ability to regenerate missing body parts after injury, an ability that arises from the abundance of stem cells in their tissues. Although older planaria show classic signs of aging—including tissue atrophy and lost fertility—Dr. Guo found that regeneration can repair aging tissues and restore the animals’ fertility. Using cutting-edge techniques in genetics, genomics, and stem-cell biology the Guo lab will identify genes that are required for tissue rejuvenation and hopefully identify targets for treatments that slow or reverse age-related tissue degeneration and extend healthy aging in humans.