|
|
June 5, 2001 Dinner:Cynthia Kenyon on The Genetics of AgingNCSWA will host a Tuesday, June 5 dinner meeting at the Pryamid Alehouse at 901 Gilman Street in Berkeley. Our speaker will be Cynthia Kenyon who will talk about the genetics of aging. Her talk is entitled, "The Youthful Worm: C. elegans and the Genetics of Aging." The nematode C. elegans normally lives for just over two weeks. Changing the activity of a single gene, which codes for an insulin-like protein, can double the lifespan of the worm, keeping it healthy and youthful much longer than normal. Can the results someday be applied to people? ABOUT THE TALK: Our speaker for the evening is Cynthia Kenyon. Since 1986, Dr. Kenyon has taught at UC San Francisco where she is now Herbert Boyer Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Her current research with the nematode C. elegans explores how genetic changes can allow these microscopic worms to double their normal lifespan with little apparent aging effects. Among her findings is that aging in C. elegans is, in part, regulated by a complex and multifaceted hormone system. The similarity of this system to those found in higher life forms suggests the possibility that human aging may one day be slowed and lifespan extended through hormonal therapies. For more on this, see the Kenyon Lab's WormWorld site. DINNER MENU:
No host bar. Lots of good draught beer, which is cheaper by the pitcher: $11.25 per pitcher. Really good root beer too. SCHEDULE:
COST: $20.00 per person and $15.00 for students **THIS IS A DEAL: NCSWA is subsidizing a portion of the costs to keep the price low. TO RESERVE SPACE: Send a check for $20 ($15 for students), made out to NCSWA, to:
DIRECTIONS TO PYRAMID ALEHOUSE: From I-80 take the Gilman St. exit (between the University Ave. and Albany exits) and drive straight up Gilman until you see the large warehouse-sized building on your left. Lots of parking inside, but also street parking if that fills up. BART is quite far away, but the AC Transit bus #9 does go past the brewery. Check out the route from downtown Berkeley BART to Gilman St. It takes about 30 minutes.
|
