RESEARCH INTERESTS: Comparative biology of aging highlights those unusual species that are not only able to live considerably longer than expected on the basis of their body size but also maintain good health until very late in life. A key focus of the research undertaken in the Buffenstein lab addresses the cellular and molecular mechanisms that the longest-lived rodent, the naked mole-rat uses to thwart the aging process and maintain cancer-free good health well into their third decade of life. In particular, we currently are using a genomic and metabolomics approach to address the underlying mechanisms that facilitate the maintenance of protein stability and genomic integrity in rodents of disparate longevity.