Old age is associated with an enhanced susceptibility to systemic vascular disorders, such as stroke and poor recovery from brain injuries. Therefore, the aim of Prof. Popa-Wagner’s group is to unravel cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying aging progression and its significance for brain diseases. His group has a long-standing interest in the molecular mechanisms of the brain through remodeling in the aged rat brain. Recently, Prof. Popa-Wagner became interested in systemic aging by aiming to model gene regulatory networks for regenerative processes after brain injury in aged animals. Another avenue of recent research is the cellular therapy of strokes by using bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal and mononuclear cells.