The elderly population in the United States is projected to double in 30 years with 1 in 5 persons over 65-years-old. While people are living longer, that does not necessarily mean they are living healthier, which will impose significant socio-economic and healthcare challenges. Jude Phillip, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and INBT core researcher, was awarded a pilot grant from the Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) to develop a new approach to distinguish frail from non-frail older adults based on the morphology of monocytes, a type of white blood cell. Phillip is helping to bring this to fruition by asking why people age differently and what can our cells can tell us about our aging trajectories. Using experimental and computational approaches, the Phillip lab is developing a multi-scale, comprehensive view of human aging, with an emphasis on changes in cell properties. By mapping aging trajectories in healthy individuals, deviations from these trends will inform the emergence of age-associated diseases such as frailty.

Phillip will also be collaborating on this project with Pablo Iglesias, the Edward J. Schaefer Professor in electrical and computer engineering, Lolita Sai Nidadavolu, MD, professor of medicine and geriatrician, and Peter Abadir, MD, professor of medicine and geriatrician.