Written By: Gina Jenkins

Laurence Maeyens, a PhD student in Biology of Aging, won the Poster Pitch Award, along with a cash prize, at the 2025 American Aging Association meeting in Anchorage, Alaska in July. His winning poster, titled “Timing of castration modulates its life-extending effect in genetically heterogeneous mice: castration at midlife is more effective than at earlier ages”, highlights a novel finding that midlife castration confers greater longevity benefits than early-life intervention in UM-HET3 mice.

This work provides new insights into the timing of hormonal interventions for aging and was one of 20 selected for a live pitch from among hundreds of competitive submissions.

Laurence is a PhD student in the labs of James F. Nelson, PhD, and Shangang Zhao, PhD. Dr. Nelson is a Professor with the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology and a Principal Investigator with the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. Dr. Zhao is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and a Principal Investigator with the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.