The Little Theatre Rochester, NY
Dr. Vera Gorbunova
Professor of Biology, University of Rochester
andDr. Andrei Seluanov
Professor of Biology, University of Rochester
The Fountain— Longevity and the Fountain of Youth
Program Description
Dr. Vera Gorbunova and Dr. Andrei Seluanov gave a presentation on longevity based on their research, which is focused on understanding the mechanisms of longevity and on the studies of exceptionally long-lived animals.
Presented At
The Little Theatre Rochester, NY
Film Synopsis
As a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.
A man (Hugh Jackman) travels through time on a quest for immortality and to save the woman he loves (Rachel Weisz). As a 16th-century conquistador, Tomas searches for the legendary Fountain of Youth. As a present-day scientist, he desperately struggles to cure the cancer that is killing his wife. Finally, as a 26th-century astronaut in deep space, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries of life, love, and death. Moving between representational stories and images, The Fountain finds director Darren Aronofsky almost completely abandoning conventional story structure to create a cinematically abstract sci-fi tale.
About the Speaker
Dr. Vera Gorbunova is the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester. Her focus is on aging research and understanding the molecular mechanisms of longevity. She earned a BS from Saint Petersburg State University and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science. She and Dr. Andrei Seluanov applied a comparative biology approach to study aging and identified rules that control the evolution of tumor suppressor mechanisms depending on the species lifespan and body mass. More recently the focus of their research has been tumor suppressor mechanisms in the long-lived rodent species the naked mole rats and the blind mole rat, where they showed that the two species evolved two distinct antitumor strategies. Together they have published over 40 research papers on these subjects. Their work received awards of from the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Glenn Foundation, American Federation for Aging Research, and from the National Institutes of Health. Their work on cancer-resistance in the naked mole rat was awarded the Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS for outstanding scientific excellence and originality. Most recently they were awarded a prize for research on aging from ADPS/Alianz, France.
Dr. Andrei Seluanov is an associate professor of biology at the University of Rochester. He earned a BS from Saint Petersburg State University and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He and Dr. Vera Gorbunova applied a comparative biology approach to study aging and identified rules that control the evolution of tumor suppressor mechanisms depending on the species lifespan and body mass. More recently the focus of their research has been tumor suppressor mechanisms in the long-lived rodent species the naked mole rats and the blind mole rat, where they showed that the two species evolved two distinct antitumor strategies. Together they have published over 40 research papers on these subjects. Their work received awards of from the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Glenn Foundation, American Federation for Aging Research, and from the National Institutes of Health. Their work on cancer-resistance in the naked mole rat was awarded the Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS for outstanding scientific excellence and originality. Most recently they were awarded a prize for research on aging from ADPS/Alianz, France.