Robert J.S. Reis, D.Phil., is studying the processes that contribute to aging.
Longevity
Gene-Mapping Gives Glimpse into Life Span By Susan Van Dusen
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hat do humans have in common with a millimeter-long, translucent roundworm? Based on the findings of Robert J. S. Reis, D.Phil., more than you would imagine. For more than 30 years, Reis has mapped the genes of these roundworms, known as C. elegans, in an effort to understand the genetics of why we age. They are, he said, “a wonderful model for studying longevity.”
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After earning his doctorate degree in Britain under the mentorship of the late John Maynard Smith, one of the world’s leading evolutionary biologists, Reis worked in the U.K. and Canada before coming to UAMS in 1980. Ten years later, Tom Johnson, Ph.D., a scientist and friend at the University of Colorado, invited him for a sabbatical to study aging in nematodes, also known as roundworms. UNIVERSITY OF ARK ANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES