The Force Surely Was with Him

Yoda, the world's oldest mouse, celebrated his fourth birthday on April 10 in a quiet, pathogen-free rest home for geriatric mice belonging to Richard A. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of pathology in the Geriatrics Center of the University of Michigan Medical School. At 1,460 days old, Yoda's longevity equates to about 136 human years. The lifespan of the average laboratory mouse is slightly over two years. Sadly, 12 days beyond his remarkable milestone, Yoda, a dwarf mouse, died peacefully with his cage mate, Princess Leia, at his side.

Yoda contemplates a model of a fruit fly, the other major genetic model used in research on aging. Photo: Richard A. Miller, U-M Medical School

Miller is an expert on the genetics and cell biology of aging. His geriatric mice are providing important clues about how genes and hormones affect the rate of human aging and risks of disease late in life. His current work focuses on identifying defects in T cells from aged mice that interfere with a normal immune response, and finding ways to reverse those defects.

-SFP