Researcher
Nir Barzilai
Last updated Sun May 17 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Background
Nir Barzilai is an endocrinologist trained in Israel and at Yeshiva University. He directs the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging.
Lines of work
- Longevity Genes Project — long-running study of Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians and their families. Identified the CETP VV genotype and IGF-1R variants as longevity-associated.
- TAME trial — Targeting Aging with Metformin, the first proposed regulatory-grade RCT testing whether a drug can slow multiple age-related diseases simultaneously.
- Geroscience advocacy — central voice in framing aging as a target for FDA-approved intervention.
Books
Age Later (2020) is his popular account of centenarian biology and the TAME framework.
Influence
Barzilai is arguably the central public voice for “treating aging” as a medical intent. The TAME design template is influential beyond the specific drug.
Related entries
References
- Barzilai, N., Crandall, J. P., Kritchevsky, S. B. & Espeland, M. A. Metformin as a tool to target aging. Cell Metab. 23, 1060–1065 (2016).