Lucas Debarba, postdoctoral fellow of biological sciences in the Marianna Sadagurski lab at Wayne State University, has been honored as one of 10 recipients of the American Aging Association (AGE) Early Career Scholar award for 2022. It is a competitive award, with over 140 applications submitted from institutions across the nation. Recipients are selected for their scientific plans and commitment to aging research. 

“I am currently studying the effects of anti-aging drugs on age-associated neuroinflammation and energy balance,” Debarba said. “Specifically, I aim to determine the molecular pathways activated and inhibited in the brain’s aged glial cells (microglia and astrocytes) and sex-specifiicity, using pharmacological interventions that retard aging, for example, Canagliflozin, Acarbose, Rapamycin, and 17-1-estradiol.” 

As an AGE Early Career Scholar, Debarba will receive travel funds to attend and present his research on pharmacological interventions to delay brain aging at the 2022 AGE annual meeting in San Antonio, TX, in May. He will also be paired with a senior AGE trainee chapter member for mentorship. 

“I feel extremely happy about this great opportunity to contribute in so many aspects to my career as a neuroscientist focused on brain aging and metabolism diseases,” Debarba said.

Written by Kristy Case, Graduate School