Titles
- Associate Professor of Lab Medicine and Pathology
Linked information
- shanerea(at)uw.edu
Departments
Roles
BMHA Training Faculty, HALO Faculty
C. elegans aging and healthspan extension
Dr. Rea is an Associate Professor of Lab Medicine and Pathology. His laboratory utilizes the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to probe the fundamental mechanisms of aging and mitochondrial dysfunction in humans. His research spanning three decades has revealed that nematode lifespan is controlled by a roughly equal mix of genetics, environment and random factors. A recent approach that his lab studies is to counter age-related decline in mitochondrial function by taking advantage of conserved cellular mechanisms that are engaged in response to mitochondrial electron transport chain dysfunction, including a mitochondrial retrograde response in the nematode C. elegans that opposes mitochondrial dysfunction and also functions to extend life.
