Mitochondrial DNA deletions may be a fundamental cause of aging but quantifying them is challenging. We will measure these using mouse data, and we will try to measure in fruit flies so we can determine whether and to what extent they correlate with measures of aging and age-related functional decline.
Apart from making energy, the cell components called mitochondria do many other functions. They are certainly involved in the aging process and they have their own DNA. Sometimes large chunks of this DNA get removed. We want to measure this process and see how it relates to other measurable parameters of aging, in case it might be a primary cause.
