Decipher cardiac aging using African turquoise killifish

Aging is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, genetic studies of aging have been hindered by the enormous colony management efforts that are required. The African turquoise killifish is an emerging vertebrate model for aging studies because of its extremely short lifespan of about 6 months.

Building on phenotyping and genetic platforms developed in adult zebrafish, we are adapting and expanding these approaches in killifish. We are incorporating single-cell and spatial transcriptomic technologies to enable high-resolution characterization of age-associated changes in the heart. Our overall goal is to establish an efficient vertebrate model system for functional genetic studies of cardiac aging.