Leonard P. Guarente

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Leonard P. Guarente is an American biologist best known for his research on life span extension in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He is currently at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he is Novartis Professor of Biology.

Guarente, along with graduate students Mitch McVey and Matt Kaeberlein, reported in 1999 that increased activity of the Sir2 protein slows aging in yeast mother cells. Sir2 is the founding member of the Sirtuin family of enzymes. Guarente is recognized as the leading proponent of the hypothesis that caloric restriction slows aging by activation of Sirtuins. This hypothesis has been challenged by Kaeberlein and another former graduate student of Guarente's, Brian Kennedy, both of whom are professors at the University of Washington.

Leonard Guarente has written an autobiography titled "Ageless Quest: One Scientist's Search for Genes That Prolong Youth". The book was published in 2003 by Cold Spring Harbor Press.