NOVATO, Calif., July 14 — 1999. That is the year the Buck Institute for Research on Aging opened its doors, becoming the first independent research institute in the United States dedicated exclusively to aging and age-related diseases. The bottom line: two decades of work have produced a compound that clears senescent cells in mice, and a growing body of research linking cellular aging to inflammation and cancer.
Investors and philanthropists are paying close attention. By the numbers, the institute employs more than 200 researchers as of 2024.
Its founding came from philanthropists Beryl and Marion Buck. The facility sits in Novato, California, and now operates a Center for Healthy Aging launched in 2020 in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco.
Key Faculty and Discoveries
Dr. Eric Verdin has served as CEO and president since 2016. His work focuses on how diet and metabolism affect aging. That line of inquiry has drawn attention from biotech companies looking to develop interventions that mimic caloric restriction or metabolic benefits.
Dr. Judith Campisi, a professor at the institute, published a landmark 2005 paper in Nature Reviews Cancer that identified the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP. Her discovery showed that senescent cells — cells that have stopped dividing — do not simply sit idle.
They actively secrete inflammatory factors that can promote inflammation and fuel cancer. That figure matters: a single 2005 paper changed how the field views aging cells, from passive bystanders to active drivers of disease.
The Fisetin Breakthrough
In 2018, researchers published a study in Nature Communications identifying fisetin, a flavonoid found in strawberries, as a compound that clears senescent cells in mice. The study showed that fisetin extended lifespan in the animals. The figure that matters: this was not a broad antioxidant effect.
Fisetin was shown to specifically target and eliminate senescent cells — a class of drugs now called senolytics. The compound is natural and found in common foods, which has made it an attractive candidate for further study.
Funding and Future Direction
The Buck Institute receives funding from the National Institute on Aging, private donations, and collaborations with biotech companies. That funding mix allows researchers to pursue both basic science and translational work aimed at human therapies. The Center for Healthy Aging, launched in 2020 with UCSF, represents a formal bridge between basic aging research and clinical application.
The collaboration aims to move discoveries from the lab bench toward human trials. What to watch next: whether fisetin or similar senolytic compounds move into human clinical testing.
The institute’s focus on metabolism and cellular senescence positions it at the center of a rapidly growing field — one that investors will note has attracted significant private and public funding. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
