A pharmacological approach to minimize declines associated with normal aging is desirable from the standpoint of minimizing the economic and sociological costs of an aging population. However, identifying and characterizing compounds that improve performance in the elderly is expensive and time-consuming. This project aims to quickly identify lead compounds that improve function in old age by using the nematode, C. elegans, to rapidly screen candidate compounds. Current work is focused on characterizing the effects of two types of compounds on the nematode's aging process.
