Why Metabolism?

Metabolism encompasses all of the reactions that generate and use energy. At the cellular and organismal levels, metabolic flux and balance is required to move, to replicate, to repair damage, and to sustain life, and indeed disruptions to this delicate balance are a major contributor to disease and aging. Thus, in some sense metabolism is life; it is the molecular explanation of how we interact with the internal and external environment and operate as living organisms, and proper metabolism insures robust function and health. The Sabri Ülker Center at Harvard University is committed to investigating the molecular underpinnings of metabolism, its interactions with nutrients, and its dysregulation in chronic metabolic diseases and during aging, with the long-term goal of translating the findings into new therapeutic directions and strategies to prolong healthspan. We are thrilled to welcome you to the third Sabri Ülker Symposium on Metabolism and Life, which brings together a spectacular array of global experts exploring various aspects of metabolism in health and disease states and during the aging process.

Gökhan S. Hotamışlıgil, MD, PhD, Chair of the Symposium