New research funding to explore the process of ageing

How partial inhibition of RNA polymerase III (red) extends the lifespan of nematode

Congratulations to Dr Jenny Tullet who has recently been awarded a new BBSRC research grant. The main objective of the project is elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which partial inhibition of RNA polymerase III can extend the lifespan of nematode worms (see picture above). The long-term aim is the use these findings to better understand the ageing process in humans and to ultimately improve human health and wellbeing throughout the human lifespan. The project is in collaboration with Dr Nazif Alic at University College London and Prof. Colin Selman at the University of Glasgow and builds on their exciting work published in Nature in 2017.

Research in the Tullet lab aims to understand how transcriptional events can influence adult physiology, health and lifespan using the nematode worm (Caenorhabditis elegans) as a model organism.  The lab is interested in a range of components of the eukaryotic transcriptional apparatus, from the basal transcriptional machinery to specific transcription factors.