Isabel Beerman, PhD

Stadtman Investigator – Translational Gerontology/Epigenetics and Stem Cell Aging Unit – National Institute on Aging

Aging is an easily recognizable phenotype yet is difficult to universally define given its inherently gradual progression and complex nature. One hallmark of aged tissues and systems is the diminished capacity to maintain homeostasis or to return to that homeostatic condition after stress or injury. This loss of homeostatic control in the blood system during aging can manifest as several clinically significant pathophysiologies encompassing diminished immune competence and the development of myelogenous diseases (MDS and leukemias). As the primary function of adult stem cells is mediating tissue homeostasis and regenerating tissues after injury, it has been posited that alterations in the stem cell compartment may drive many of these phenotypes. My research program is directed toward understanding the changes that occur in the adult hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment and how these alterations contribute to age-associated phenomena in blood. This research will ultimately inform potential therapeutic avenues that will allow for a properly functioning blood system with age.

My training and education background includes an AB from Harvard Univerity, Masters and PhD in Genetics from Yale University, and post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School / Boston Children’s Hospital. I am currently a Stadtman Investigator at the NIA.