Research
Our goal is to determine how the brain regulates aging and resilience to stress
We use the nematode C. elegans as a tractable model organism to investigate how the brain regulates aging and resilience at cellular, tissue, and organismic levels.
We use new enabling technologies, including biophysically-calibrated protein-oxidation microscopy and an automated Lifespan Machine using scanners.
Our work is cross-disciplinary, combining molecular genetics, quantitative microscopy, mathematical modelling, and engineering.
A better understanding of how the brain regulates aging and resilience in C. elegans may ultimately lead to a new class of therapies for aging-dependent human diseases.
People
Lab Members
Javier Apfeld
Assistant Professor
PhD in Biochemistry, University of California, San Francisco, 1999
BSc in Biology, MIT, 1994
Yuyan Xu
Graduate Student
BM in Medicine, Fudan University, China, 2018
Daniel Shaw
Graduate Student
MS in Biology, University College London, 2021
Alyson Fulton
Graduate Student
BS in Chemistry, Shippensburg University, 2022
Casey Tsimbal
Graduate Student
BS in Biology, Suffolk University, 2019
Eyob Gebeyaw
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Meha Macwan
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Sophia Sachs
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Isadora Belsic
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Justin Hippler
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Daniel Carolan
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Leena Gupta
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Sophia Pavlidis
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Naadia Rashid
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Bryce Hochstetler
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Chloe Zenker
Undergraduate Student
Northeastern University
Lab Alumni
Frank Servello
Graduate Student 2017 - 2022
Research Scientist, Abcam
Jodie Schiffer
Graduate Student 2015 - 2021
Research Scientist, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Sean Johnsen
Research Technician and Undergraduate Thesis 2017-2020
Graduate Student, University of North Carolina,Chapel Hill
William Heath
Research Technician 2015 - 2018
Maintenance Engineer, Partner Therapeutics, WA
Maria Khalid
Graduate Rotation Student 2021
Graduate Student,
Erin Cram's lab, Northeastern University
Charles Linskey
Graduate Rotation Student 2018
Graduate Student,
Dori Woods' lab, Northeastern University
Brian Nguyen
Graduate Rotation Student 2016
Graduate Student,
Veronica Godoy's lab, Northeastern University
Perla Castañeda
Graduate Rotation Student 2016
Scientist, Discovery Biology
Kim Lühmann
MS Exchange Student 2018 - 2019
Graduate Student, Universität Hamburg
Julian Stanley
Undergraduate Thesis 2015 - 2020
Graduate Student, MIT
Hannah Tam
Undergraduate Thesis 2015 - 2019
Graduate Student, Harvard Medical School
Olivia Liu
Undergraduate Volunteer 2022 - 2024
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Meagan Duncan
Undergraduate Volunteer 2021 - 2023
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Aishwarya Sood
Undergraduate Volunteer 2022 - 2023
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Abigail Binkley
Undergraduate Volunteer 2023
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Kokob Tesfay
Undergraduate Volunteer 2023
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Vivek Kanpa
Undergraduate Volunteer 2022 - 2023
Masters Student, University College Dublin
Omar Van Eer
Undergraduate Volunteer 2021 - 2023
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Katerina Gusarova
Undergraduate Volunteer 2022
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Anders Lindberg
Undergraduate Volunteer 2019 - 2022
Medical Student, Albany Medical College
Stephanie Stumbur
Undergraduate Volunteer 2016 - 2021
Medical Student, University of Louisville
Niket Patel
Undergraduate Volunteer 2019-2021
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Nathan Gong
Undergraduate Volunteer 2019 - 2020
Software Engineer, Medtronic
Nicholas LoRocco
Undergraduate Volunteer 2019 - 2020
MD/PhD Student, University of Chicago
Nithin Chintala
Undergraduate Volunteer 2019 - 2020
Software Engineer, Schrödinger
Natalie McGowan
Undergraduate Volunteer 2016 - 2019
Undergraduate Student, Northeastern University
Pranav Prabhala
Undergraduate Volunteer 2018 - 2019
Research Associate, Wyss Institute
Jodie Wong
Undergraduate Volunteer 2018 - 2019
Research Associate, Ribon Therapeutics
William Serkin
Undergraduate Volunteer 2018
Research Associate, eGenesis
Paula Hornstein
Undergraduate Volunteer 2018
Research Coordinator, Keck Medicine of USC
Orna Lynch
Undergraduate Volunteer 2018
Research Associate, Cellarity
Sarah Brennan
Undergraduate Volunteer 2016 - 2018
Medical Assistant, South Shore Skin Center
Whitney Vullemier
Undergraduate Volunteer 2017
Research Associate, Sanofi Molecular Oncology
Abigail Vogelaar
Undergraduate Volunteer 2016 - 2017
Research Associate, C4 Therapeutics
Stephanie Su
Undergraduate Volunteer 2017
Mechanical Engineer, Joby Aviation
Matea Zelich
REU Student 2022
Undergraduate Student, Harvey Mudd College
Tosin Banjo
REU Student 2021
Undergraduate Student, Wellesley College
Nohelly Derosiers
REU Student 2019
Graduate Student, University of Pennsylvania
Jalen Rose
REU Student 2018
Undergraduate Student, North Carolina State University
Destiney Kirby
REU Student 2017
Medical Student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Kumael Jafri
High School Student 2017
Medical Student, Albany Medical College
Harim Kim
Summer Student 2016
Internal Medicine Resident, University of Maryland Medical Center
Alex Schiffer
Intern 2016
Senior Research Associate, BioRemix Therapeutics
Publications
Neuronal temperature perception induces specific defenses that enable C. elegans to cope with the enhanced reactivity of hydrogen peroxide at high temperature
Servello FA, Fernandes R, Eder M, Harris N, Martin O, Oswal N, Lindberg A, Derosiers N, Sengupta P, Stroustrup N, Apfeld J. eLife (2022).
[article | supplement | bioRxiv]
Modulation of sensory perception by hydrogen peroxide enables Caenorhabditis elegans to find a niche that provides both food and protection from hydrogen peroxide
Caenorhabditis elegans processes sensory information to choose between freeloading and self-defense strategies
Schiffer J, Servello F, Heath W, Amrit FR, Stumbur S, Eder M, Martin O, Johnsen S, Stanley J, Tam H, Brennan S, McGowan N, Vogelaar A, Xu Y, Serkin W, Ghazi A, Stroustrup N, and Apfeld J. eLife (2020).
[article | supplement | bioRxiv | accompanying eLife digest]
The heat shock transcription factor HSF-1 protects Caenorhabditis elegans from
peroxide stress
Servello F and Apfeld J. Translational Medicine of Aging (2020).
[article | supplement | bioRxiv]
What can we learn about human disease from the nematode C. elegans?
Apfeld J and Alper S. Methods in Molecular Biology (2018).
[article]
Age-dependence and aging-dependence: Neuronal loss and lifespan in a C. elegans model of Parkinson's disease
Apfeld J* and Fontana W. Biology (2017).
*Co-corresponding and co-last author.
[article | supplement | movie | bioRxiv]
The temporal scaling of Caenorhabditis elegans ageing
Stroustrup N, Anthony WE, Nash ZM, Gowda V, Gomez A, López-Moyado IF, Apfeld J*, Fontana W. Nature (2016).
*Co-last author.
[article | supplement | tables | accompanying news and views]
Regulated spatial organization and sensitivity of cytosolic protein oxidation in Caenorhabditis elegans
Romero-Aristizabal C, Marks DS, Fontana W, Apfeld J*. Nature Communications (2014).
*Co-corresponding and co-last author.
[article | supplement]
An insulin-to-insulin regulatory network orchestrates phenotypic specificity in development and physiology
Fernandes de Abreu D, Caballero A, Fardel P, Stroustrup N, Chen Z, Lee K, Keyes WD, Nash ZM, López-Moyado IF, Vaggi F, Cornils A, Regenass M, Neagu A, Ostojic I, Liu C, Cho Y, Sifoglu D, Fontana W, Lu H, Csikasz-Nagy A, Murphy C, Antebi A, Blanc E, Apfeld J*, Zhang Y, Alcedo J, Ch'ng Q. PLoS Genetics (2014).
*Co-corresponding and co-last author.
[article]
The Caenorhabditis elegans Lifespan Machine
Stroustrup N, Ulmschneider BE, Nash ZM, López-Moyado IF, Apfeld J*, Fontana W. Nature Methods (2013).
*Co-corresponding and co-last author.
[article | supplement]
Pre-2013 publications
Hulme SE, Shevkoplyas SS, McGuigan AP, Apfeld J, Fontana W, Whitesides GM. Lifespan-on-a-chip: microfluidic chambers for performing lifelong observation of elegans. Lab on a Chip (2010).
Alper S, McElwee MK, Apfeld J, Lackford B, Freedman JH, Schwartz DA. The Caenorhabditis elegans germ line regulates distinct signaling pathways to control lifespan and innate immunity. J Biol Chem (2010).
Hulme SE, Shevkoplyas SS, Apfeld J, Fontana W, Whitesides GM. A microfabricated array of clamps for immobilizing and imaging elegans. Lab on a Chip (2007).
Bordone L, Motta MC, Picard F, Robinson A, Jhala US, Apfeld J, McDonagh T, Lemieux M, McBurney M, Szilvasi A, Easlon EJ, Lin SJ, Guarente L. Sirt1 regulates insulin secretion by repressing UCP2 in pancreatic beta cells. PLoS Biology (2006).
Apfeld J*, O’Connor G, McDonagh T, DiStefano PS, Curtis R. The AMP-activated protein kinase AAK-2 links energy levels and insulin-like signals to lifespan in elegans. Genes and Development (2004). * Corresponding author.
Francis R, McGrath G, Zhang J, Ruddy DA, Sym M, Apfeld J, Nicoll M, Maxwell M, Hai B, Ellis MC, Parks AL, Xu W, Li J, Gurney M, Myers RL, Himes CS, Hiebsch R, Ruble C, Nye JS, Curtis D. aph-1 and pen-2 are required for Notch pathway signaling, gamma-secretase cleavage of betaAPP, and presenilin protein accumulation. Developmental Cell (2002).
Arantes-Oliveira N, Apfeld J, Dillin A, Kenyon C. Regulation of Lifespan by germ-line stem-cells in Caenorhabditis elegans. Science (2002).
Apfeld J, Kenyon C. Regulation of lifespan by sensory perception in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature (1999). Accompanying News & Views in Nature.
Apfeld J, Kenyon C. Cell nonautonomy of elegans daf-2 function in the regulation of diapause and life span. Cell (1998). Featured on the cover of Cell, with accompanying Minireview.
Finer-Moore JS; Liu L; Birdsall DL; Brem R; Apfeld J; Santi DV; Stroud RM. Contributions of orientation and hydrogen bonding to catalysis in Asn229 mutants of thymidylate synthase. Journal of Molecular Biology (1998).
Curtis D; Apfeld J; Lehmann R. nanos is an evolutionarily conserved organizer of anterior-posterior polarity. Development (1995).Links to publications
Google Scholar
ORCID iD
Our values
Thanks to Sammy Katta for putting together this beautiful poster that captures our values
Lab information
Email
j.apfeld [at] northeastern.edu
Call
Lab: (617) 373-2120
Office: (617) 373-4495
Visit or Ship
Lab: Room 409
Office: Room 420B
205 Mugar Life Sciences Building
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
