Pepper Center Rounds

Douglas E. Vaughan, MD, is the Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute at Northwestern, and Chief Academic Officer of Northwestern Medicine. From 2008 to 2023, he served as Chair of the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. During that time, he also served as Physician in Chief of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. His research program includes basic, translational, and clinical research focused on the role of the plasminogen activator system in cardiovascular disease and aging. Vaughan’s research team identified the first autosomal dominant gene mutation that protects against biological aging in humans. This loss-of-function mutation in SERPINE1 provides the first evidence that reduction in a component of the senescence messaging system impacts key molecular and physiological aspects of aging and the lifespan. His group is now focused on the development and testing of PAI-1 inhibitors (small molecules, biologics and siRNA) that protect against the development of senescence and aging-related pathology. These agents have the potential to delay or reverse aging-related morbidities in humans.

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