Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Nonprofit
About
The Buck Institute, in Novato, California, describes itself as the first independent biomedical research institute focused solely on aging. It is named after Marin philanthropist Beryl Hamilton Buck, whose estate provides the institute with a share of trust income, and opened its I.M. Pei-designed campus in 1999. Around two dozen faculty laboratories study basic mechanisms of aging, mitochondria and bioenergetics, proteostasis, senescence and inflammation, neurodegeneration, stem cells, and women's reproductive aging, using worms, flies, mice and human samples. The institute hosts a Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research, a USC-Buck Nathan Shock Center, a SenNet Human Tissue Mapping Center and a Center for Human Healthspan, and runs a clinical research core. Its listed focus areas now include AI and computational biology and women's healthy aging. Most revenue comes from contributions and government grants.
Rating breakdown
Aggregate 94/100 · rank #1 in the academic & non-profit table full ratings →
Expand a signal to see what contributes to it.
Publications100
- Eric Verdin — h-index 144 source ↗
- Martin Brand — h-index 120 source ↗
- Simon Melov — h-index 76 source ↗
- Julie Andersen — h-index 71 source ↗
- Pankaj Kapahi — h-index 65 source ↗
- Gordon Lithgow — h-index 60 source ↗
- Extension of life-span with superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics (Melov et al., Science) ↗
- Amyloid-binding compounds maintain protein homeostasis during ageing and extend lifespan (Alavez et al., Nature) ↗
- An essential role for senescent cells in optimal wound healing through secretion of PDGF-AA (Demaria et al., Dev Cell) ↗
- Ketogenic diet reduces midlife mortality and improves memory in aging mice (Newman et al., Cell Metab) ↗
- Senescence-associated secretory phenotypes reveal cell-nonautonomous functions of oncogenic RAS and the p53 tumor suppressor (Coppe et al./Campisi, PLoS Biology) - foundational SASP paper ↗
Discovery69
Trials from ClinicalTrials.gov (this org as lead sponsor), matched to aging by their condition or intervention.
- Targeting Aging With a Ketone Ester for Function in Frailty ↗ NA · Frail Elderly, Aging, Immune Function
- GLYLO Supplement Pilot Trial on Glycation and Aging in Postmenopausal Women ↗ NA · Postmenopause, Metabolism, Geroscience
- Molecular Optimization Via Exercise (MOVE) ↗ Aging
- Buck Institute Ketone Ester RCT ↗ NA · Tolerance, Safety Issues, Aging
- SASP Atlas - curated proteomic database of senescence-associated secretomes (Schilling and Campisi labs) ↗
Fundraising100
Grants of the organisation's listed people, name-matched via NIH RePORTER ↗.
- Martin Brand: Integrating large scale genomics and functional studies to accelerate FSGS/NS discovery · USD 1M · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 5RC2DK122397-05
- Simon Melov: Mapping and validating senescent cells in human muscle, ovary and breast · USD 941K · National Institute on Aging 5U54AG075932-05
- Pankaj Kapahi: The Interplay Between Diet and Mating Status in Influencing ovarian aging and Healthspan in Flies and Humans · USD 821K · National Institute on Aging 1R01AG096154-01A1
- Pankaj Kapahi: Role of OXR1 and the retromer in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias · USD 809K · National Institute on Aging 1R01AG095381-01
- Eric Verdin: Cellular senescence and Associated Lysosomal Dysfunction in Immune Aging · USD 693K · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 5U01AI180158-03
- Eric Verdin: Cellular senescence and Associated Lysosomal Dysfunction in Immune Aging · USD 672K · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 5U01AI180158-02
Education100
- Eric Verdin ARDD speaker 2024;2025 source ↗
- Brian Kennedy ARDD speaker 2024;2025 source ↗
- Gordon Lithgow ARDD speaker source ↗
- Heinrich Jasper ARDD speaker 2025 source ↗
- Malene Hansen ARDD speaker source ↗
- Pankaj Kapahi ARDD speaker 2024 source ↗
- Simon Melov ARDD speaker source ↗
- Julie Andersen ARDD speaker source ↗
- Martin Brand ARDD speaker source ↗
- Jamie Justice ARDD speaker 2024;2025 source ↗
- Alex Zhavoronkov ARDD speaker 2024;2025;2026 source ↗
- Marco Demaria ARDD speaker 2024;2025 source ↗
- Zoe Du ARDD speaker 2024 source ↗
- David Furman ARDD speaker 2024;2026 source ↗
- Jennifer Garrison ARDD speaker 2024 source ↗
- Brianna Stubbs ARDD speaker 2024 source ↗
- Matias Fuentealba Valenzuela ARDD speaker 2024 source ↗
- Sierra Lore ARDD speaker 2025 source ↗
- John Newman ARDD speaker 2025 source ↗
Key outputs
- publication Extension of life-span with superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics (Melov et al., Science) ↗ 2000
- publication Amyloid-binding compounds maintain protein homeostasis during ageing and extend lifespan (Alavez et al., Nature) ↗ 2011
- publication An essential role for senescent cells in optimal wound healing through secretion of PDGF-AA (Demaria et al., Dev Cell) ↗ 2014
- publication Ketogenic diet reduces midlife mortality and improves memory in aging mice (Newman et al., Cell Metab) ↗ 2017
- publication Senescence-associated secretory phenotypes reveal cell-nonautonomous functions of oncogenic RAS and the p53 tumor suppressor (Coppe et al./Campisi, PLoS Biology) - foundational SASP paper ↗ 2008
- publication Suppression of oxidative stress by beta-hydroxybutyrate, an endogenous histone deacetylase inhibitor (Shimazu et al./Newman/Verdin, Science) ↗ 2013
- publication A proteomic atlas of senescence-associated secretomes for aging biomarker development (Basisty et al./Campisi/Schilling, PLoS Biology) ↗ 2020
- dataset or tool SASP Atlas - curated proteomic database of senescence-associated secretomes (Schilling and Campisi labs) ↗ 2020
Registered clinical trials
9 trials list this organisation as lead sponsor ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
- BETA: Study in Prediabetes Type 2 Diabetes ↗ ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · 2026-03-25
- BETA - Pilot Study ↗ ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION · 2025-07-01
- Temporal Investigation of Multimodal Elements ↗ RECRUITING · 2025-06-15
- Targeting Aging With a Ketone Ester for Function in Frailty ↗ NA · RECRUITING · 2025-04-17
- GLYLO Supplement Pilot Trial on Glycation and Aging in Postmenopausal Women ↗ NA · RECRUITING · 2025-04-01
- Molecular Optimization Via Exercise (MOVE) ↗ RECRUITING · 2024-09-19
- Pilot Study of GLY-LOW Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women With Obesity ↗ EARLY_PHASE1 · COMPLETED · 2023-07-27
- Variations in Ketone Metabolism ↗ NA · RECRUITING · 2023-06-20
Showing 8 of 9 registered trials.
Investment & funding
| Date | Type | Amount | Detail | Counterparties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06 | other | USD 63M | Buck Institute for Research on Aging publicly disclosed total expenses for fiscal year July 2024-June 2025 (Form 990) | |
| 2025-06 | government programme | USD 36M | Buck Institute for Research on Aging publicly disclosed government grants (contributions) received in fiscal year July 2024-June 2025 (Form 990) |
Key people
Eric VerdinPresident and Chief Executive OfficerMalene HansenChief Scientific Officer; faculty lab headPankaj KapahiProfessor; head of Kapahi labGordon LithgowProfessor; head of Lithgow labSimon MelovProfessor; head of Melov lab; co-director, Mouse Phenotyping and Single-Cell Biology coresJulie AndersenProfessor; head of Andersen labMartin BrandProfessor EmeritusAshley WebbAssociate Professor; Co-Director, Glenn Center for Biology of Aging ResearchLee HoodChief Innovation OfficerRemy Gross IIIExecutive Vice President, AdministrationFreda KongChief Financial OfficerJudith CampisiProfessor (1948-2024); foundational senescence / SASP researcherPeter WalterProfessor (Lasker laureate; discoverer of the unfolded protein response)Nathan PriceProfessor; Co-Director, Center for Human HealthspanJohn NewmanAssociate ProfessorBirgit SchillingProfessor; co-developer of the SASP AtlasLisa EllerbyProfessorDavid FurmanProfessor; director of the Buck AI Platform / immunomics
Research fields
Links
Sources
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/about/
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/about/history/
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/about/leadership/
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/research/faculty/
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/research/focus-areas/
- https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943030609/202621279349302377/full
- https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943030609
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.289.5484.1567
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09873
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2014.11.012
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.08.004
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0060301
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1227166
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000599
- https://www.saspatlas.com
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/news/the-buck-institute-mourns-the-death-of-judy-campisi/
- https://www.buckinstitute.org/lab/center-for-human-healthspan/