Research Interests
Keywords:
Dr. Ulgherait鈥檚 research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of aging. More specifically, how metabolism and nutrition can be altered and exploited to extend an organism鈥檚 lifespan. To accomplish this, he utilizes Drosophila as a model system. The fruit fly allows us to understand the connection between environmental conditions, diet composition, feeding timing, and the genetics of nutrient signaling. Pathway identification, and nutrient signaling regulators can be easily screened for with the many available genetic tools available in the fly.
Most recently, Dr. Ulgherait has studied the mechanism by which time-restricted feeding prevents aging and extends lifespan. He has found that autophagy is a tightly circadian controlled process by which macromolecules and organelles are recycled on a strict schedule (Ulgherait et al., 2021). These processes are dependent on the circadian clock, as are the benefits of restricted eating/intermittent fasting. Diurnal animals must fast during the night phase of the circadian cycle to reach the full benefit of this nutritional intervention. These findings are highlighted in (Helfand and De Cabo, 2021).
