Grant: Operating Grant - Priority Announcement: Aging (Bridge Funding)

Bacteria and infection play a key role in regulating longevity. A careful modulation of immune responses is essential to maximizing longevity. A wealth of data on the decline of immune function with age and the associated increased susceptibility to bacterial infection has led to the widespread use of antibiotics and disinfectants in everyday life. While there is little doubt that these manipulations have saved lives, their very success may have undercut additional strategies for life extension based on exploiting beneficial associations with microbes. Our findings that bacteria have a strong positive influence on longevity early in life suggest that understanding bacterial host interactions is very important for studying aging. Experiments performed in invertebrates such as Drosophila are fundamental to facilitate and accelerate our understanding the role of bacteria in aging.