Local scientist named to gerontology chair

Jorge R. Barrio of Agoura Hills, a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been appointed to UCLA's Elizabeth and Thomas Plott Chair in Gerontology.

The endowed chair is held for a five-year term by a recipient who conducts research and educational activities related to aging and longevity in the areas of molecular biology, neuroscience and immunology.

Barrio has focused his research on developing molecular imaging probes for positron emission tomography, a technology that allows scientists to image the biochemical and cellular processes in the human brain.

Barrio's work has impacted human disease evaluation and treatment for several illnesses, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Barrio received numerous awards and honors for his research. He was inducted into the Spanish Society of Nuclear Medicine and was an invited speaker at the Nobel conference on molecular imaging.

He also lectures at major universities and scientific meetings around the world and is the founding editor/editor-in-chief of a leading specialty journal in his area of expertise.

He earned a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. He served in several academic positions before he became a member of the UCLA faculty in 1979.