Associate Professor Marcel Daadi, Ph.D.

One of the newest research projects at the Southwest National Primate Center on the campus of Texas Biomed is a study to figure out if a drug -- already approved by the Food and Drug Administration -- can help stave off unwanted cognitive problems that come with aging. Is there a way to repair damage to the cell organelles called mitochondria that become inefficient with age?

Baboon at the SNPRCCourtesy Kathy West Studios

To test this particular compound, Associate Scientist Marcel Daadi, Ph.D., will be spending the next year testing and treating senior baboons. The animals are able to take a cognitive test involving images on a screen to see if therapy with this medication can help the memory deficits and cognitive decline that monkeys (and men) experience.

As more and more people live into their 80s and 90s and beyond, they become more likely to develop age-related problems.

The William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation is funding the year-long study.