As the U.S. population continues to age, scientists are searching for ways to help people stay healthier later in life. By 2050, nearly one in four Americans will be age 65 or older, and many are expected to live well into their 90s. While modern medicine has dramatically extended lifespan, aging still brings serious physical challenges, including weaker immunity, chronic inflammation, bone loss, fatigue, and declining strength.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo believe they may have found an important clue for slowing some of those age related changes.
Scientists Target “Inflammaging”
Aging is often accompanied by a constant, low level state of inflammation that gradually damages tissues and weakens the body. Scientists refer to this process as “inflammaging,” according to Keith Kirkwood, DDS, PhD, senior associate dean for research and Centennial Endowed Chair in the Department of Oral Biology at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.
“These age-related changes, known as immunosenescence, lead to a decline in immune resilience and an increased susceptibility to age-related chronic inflammatory diseases,” Kirkwood explains.
Kirkwood recently led a long running study focused on reducing frailty in older mice. The research centered on tristetraprolin (TTP), an RNA binding protein that helps control inflammation by breaking down inflammatory signals before they can build up.
As people age, TTP levels naturally decrease, especially in immune cells. That drop may allow inflammation to become more widespread throughout the body.
Protein Boost Improved Strength and Bone Health
To investigate whether restoring TTP could improve aging related health problems, the research team genetically modified a group of elderly mice so the protein remained stable. Their findings were published in the January 2026 issue of Aging and Disease.
“This protein really targets RNA for rapid degradation,” says Kirkwood, who has spent decades studying obesity, aging, oral inflammation, periodontal disease, and oral cancer progression. “Most pro-inflammatory mediators have a very short half-life, meaning they only last for minutes, not hours.”
Supported by a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the project was carried out over six years at UB’s South and Downtown campuses.
“In the United States, the prevalence of frailty in the non-nursing home population ages 65 and older is about 15%,” Kirkwood says. “Therefore, understanding the mechanisms connecting inflammaging, immune system alterations, bone health and frailty is essential for developing targeted interventions to improve the quality of life in aging populations.”
Kirkwood worked on the study with longtime collaborators Bruce Troen, MD, professor and chief of geriatric medicine and director of the Landon Center on Aging at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and Perry Blackshear, MD, PhD, a retired investigator formerly affiliated with Duke University Medical Center and the National Institute of Environmental Health Science in Research Triangle Park.
Postdoctoral researchers and graduate students also contributed to the project. Ramkumar Thiyagarajan, a former postdoctoral researcher in Kirkwood’s lab who is now an assistant professor at the University of Kansas, served as the paper’s first author.
Aging Mice Became Stronger and More Resilient
The mice in the study were 22 months old, which is considered elderly for mice. Researchers evaluated them using several measures, including grip strength, walking speed, treadmill endurance, and overall energy levels.
Male mice with increased TTP levels showed significantly lower frailty scores than untreated mice. Female mice also showed improvements, although the changes were smaller.
“The increase in TTP resulted in better grip strength, better walking, endurance and overall physical performance,” Kirkwood explains. “These mice had healthier bones and reduced bone breakdown. They exhibited a more youthful-looking immune profile.”
Female mice with higher TTP levels did not respond as strongly as males. Kirkwood says this may be related to their smaller body size and declining estrogen levels, which could limit how tissues respond to anti-inflammatory changes. Even so, both male and female mice developed stronger bones when TTP expression was enhanced.
Human Treatments Are Still Far Away
Although the findings were encouraging, Kirkwood cautions that treatments for people remain far in the future. Blackshear has already conducted early drug screening efforts to identify compounds capable of increasing TTP expression, but none have yet produced clear success.
“We would like to close that gap in the future,” Kirkwood says, adding that the results suggest manipulating TTP may eventually benefit humans and other animals.
The team is now planning additional studies focused on whether TTP could also help reduce neuroinflammation linked to aging disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“I’m optimistic about where this research could lead and what we may learn as studies continue over time,” Kirkwood says.
