Gianni Castiglione

Pet parrots often outlive their owners, and Vanderbilt researchers want to know why—because uncovering the biological mechanisms behind exceptional longevity could one day help safely extend the lives of humans. With the support of a new $1.3 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation, Vanderbilt biologist Gianni Castiglione is taking a bold approach to aging research: reverse-engineering how birds live three to four times longer than similarly sized mammals to identify safe, effective genetic targets for human aging therapies. Read More

New work from the Castiglione lab and that of collaborator, Elia Duh (Johns Hopkins), is shaping the way is shaping the way we understand the evolutionary limits of energy production. He discovered that the horse, an oft-studied, physiological powerhouse, evolved an enigmatic and ancient mutation that enables horses and their relatives to produce extreme amounts of energy while avoiding deleterious side effects. Read More

Vanderbilt University welcomes 74 new faculty across its nine schools and colleges for the 2022–23 academic year. Here, some of the university’s new faculty share their academic collaborations. Read More