Tamao Endo, Ph.D., Vice Director

Our mission is investigation of aging processes and geriatric diseases. Research teams for mechanism of aging and for functional biogerontology are responsible for the understanding of molecular and regulatory mechanism of aging. Research reams for geriatric medicine, for geriatric pathology, and for neuroimaging are responsible for pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of geriatric diseases. The brain bank for aging research and the geriatric autopsy-tissue resources support many projects performed in our center and also help the collaborations between many research institutes and universities.

Gerontology is multidisciplinary field associated with various biological phenomena. In 1953, double-helix structure of DNA was elucidated, and the human genome project has been finished after 50 years later. By the elucidation of the human genome, a revolutionary development is expected to occur in the field of medical science in the near future. Many important genes related to the aging processes have already been found and are expected to be useful in the future development of geriatric medicine. However, we still need many efforts to understand how genes and gene-products control the aging processes and cause geriatric diseases.

We now pursue several themes that will affect the progress of gerontology itself but also other scientific fields. Our research activities will open a way to apply to clinical field and will lead to successful aging-society in the future.