Southern Illinois gets grant for longevity study

Published 2:22 pm Wednesday, June 17, 2009

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A scientist at Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine will share in an $8.6 million federal grant to continue his study of aging and longevity.

The grant announced Tuesday designates Andrzej Bartke as the lead researcher of a team that includes scientists at the Mayo Clinic, the University of Michigan, Ohio University and the University of Texas Health Science Center.

Bartke says the team will use a type of mutant mice that lives longer to look at how the aging process is affected by fat cells, genes and insulin.

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Bartke has been a physiologist at the medical school’s Springfield campus since 2002. About $2.8 million of the grant money will be used by Bartke and his researchers in Springfield.

Albert Lea is presently participating in a longevity study called the Vitality Project. It is being done by AARP and the Minneapolis-based Blue Zones organization.