Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute

Nir Barzilai, M.D.

Nir Barzilai, M.D.Nir Barzilai, M.D.
Professor, Department of Medicine (Endocrinology)
Professor, Department of Genetics
Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair in Aging Research
Director, Institute for Aging Research  

Dr. Nir Barzilai is the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research and of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. He is the Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair of Aging Research, and member of the Diabetes Research Center and of the Divisions of Endocrinology & Diabetes and Geriatrics. His research interests focus on several key mechanisms involved in the biology of aging, including the effects of the environment (mainly nutrients) on extending life and the genetic determinants of lifespan. He discovered the first "longevity gene” in humans and is further characterizing the phenotype and genotype of humans with exceptional longevity. full bio 

Key Publications

  1. Sanders AE, Wang C, Katz M, Derby CA, Barzilai N, Ozelius L, Lipton RB. Association of a functional polymorphism in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene with memory decline and incidence of dementia. JAMA. 2010 Jan 13;303(2):150-8.
  2. Rajpathak SN, Liu Y, Ben-David O, Reddy S, Atzmon G, Crandall J, Barzilai N. Lifestyle Factors of People with Exceptional Longevity. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Aug 3.
  3. Tazearslan, C., Huang, J., Barzilai, N., and Suh,Y. Impaired IGF1R signaling in cells expressing longevity-associated human IGF1R alleles. Aging Cell. 2011 Jun;10(3):551-4.
  4. Milman S, Atzmon G, Huffman DM, Wan J, Crandall JP, Cohen P, Barzilai N. Low insulin-like growth factor-1 level predicts survival in humans with exceptional longevity. Aging Cell. 2014 Mar 12.
  5. Chang AL, Atzmon G, Bergman A, Brugmann S, Atwood SX, Chang HY, Barzilai N. Identification of Genes Promoting Skin Youthfulness by Genome-Wide Association Study. J Invest Dermatol. 2013 Sep 13.
  6. Barzilai N, Guarente L, Kirkwood TB, Partridge L, Rando TA, Slagboom PE. The place of genetics in ageing research. Nat Rev Genet. 2012 Jul 10;13(8):589-94.

Funding

  1. Funding for the genetics of human exceptional longevity
    1. NIH-1 R01 AG 046949 - 01 (Barzilai, PI) 06/01/13-05/30/18
      Longevity Genes Project/LonGenity
      This R01 serve as a resource to maintain the follow-up activity for a longitudinal study of families with exceptional longevity (LonGenity). This also enables us to provide data needed for other R01 kind of funded projects and for replication.
    2. NIH/NIA1 R01 AG 042188-01 (Atzmon/Barzilai) 09/30/11- 07/31/16
      Epigenetic Profiling in Healthy Aging and Exceptional Longevity
      This R01 is investigating the changes in whole genome, site specific, methylation in centenarians and their families, in relationship to biological phenotypes.
    3. NIH/NIA 1 R01AG044829 (PIs-Veghese/Barzilai) 5/15/14-5/14/19
      Role of exceptional longevity genotypes in protection against frailty in aging This longitudinal study (LonGenity) on offspring of centenarians and subjects with no family history of longevity will allow discovering and validating genetic components that protect from age-related phenotype and frailty.
     
  2. The metabolic and biological determines of aging
    1. NIH R37 AG18381 (Barzilai Merit Award) 09/01/10- 08/31/20
      Dysregulation of Glucose Homeostasis in Aging
      The effects of IGF-1 and its binding proteins on body fat distribution and on peripheral and hepatic insulin action and secretion will be delineated on aging animals.
     
  3. Leadership in Institutional Core and Training
    1. Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in Biology of Aging (P30 AG038072)
      07/01/10-06/30/15
      Administrative Core
      Health Aging Animal Physiology Core
    2. The Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging
      09/01/12-08/31/15
      GLENN FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
      Support 4 translational projects on human aging
      Provides Dr. Barzilai LGP study to maintain the resource and perform analysis including exome and whole genome sequencing and epigenetic studies. Also provides funding for continuous recruitment needs for centenarians and their families.
    3. NIH 1T32 AG023475 (Barzilai, PI)
      05/01/14-04/30/19
      National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant
      Training in Aging Research focused on training graduates, PhD and MD in the context of NSC an, Glenn and other Program Projects funded by the NIA at Einstein.
    4. 1R24AG044396 - 01A1 (PI Kirkland, co-PI Barzilai)
      6/06/13-5/06/16
      Apollo Geroscience Network
      Planning grant to use innovative approaches to allow us to translate findings from bench to bedside more rapidly than possible by individual centers, laboratories, and groups of geriatricians.
    5. 1R24AG044284 (PI-Promislow; co-PI Barzilai)
      6/06/13-5/06/16
      Dog as Model for Aging
      Planning grant to use the dog as a model for aging such as by designing longitudinal or intervention studies.