Diet and reproductive factors influencing ageing

Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent model for studying lifespan and healthspan because of its amenability to genetic manipulation, short lifespan, and ease in laboratory husbandry. By removing its germline and culturing under diet restriction, its lifespan increases 2-3-fold. The mechanisms mediating increase of lifespan when nematodes are under those conditions are poorly understood. In this project, the student will perform genetic screens to identify potential modulators of lifespan extension.