This application is for renewal of the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging at the University of Washington and affiliated institutions. This Center has over the past 20 years provided key resources in support of investigators who study the biology of aging. This application shifts to a theme that emphases outreach and service to the broadest community of investigators in the gerosciences. Of proximal relevance is the focus on characterizing aging-related phenotypes of longevity and healthspan. As our Center services must be easily accessible to outside users, our Longevity and Healthspan Core C focuses on invertebrate assays, many of them novel. Two other Research Resources focus on the high dimensional assessments that are most directly related to aging phenotypes, Protein Phenotypes of Aging (Core A) and Metabolite Phenotypes of Aging (Core B). Each of these three Resource Cores is led by a highly respected expert in that field, Michael MacCoss (Core A), Daniel Promislow (Core B) and Matt Kaeberlein (Core C). Each will push the envelope of appropriate technologies, developing new state-of-the art approaches for assessments that are the most applicable to gerontology and making them accessible to the aging community. The Research Development Core will support pilot projects, with an emphasis on support and career development of junior investigators, focusing on projects that can capitalize on the strengths of our Research Resource Core services. To broaden our outreach, the majority of awards will be to investigators outside our region. The Program Enrichment Core supports administrative management, an external advisory panel, a program of courses and seminars, data sharing and dissemination and advanced informatics and biostatistical support. A program of workshops will be focused on the fields of our three Research Resource Cores, to most fully integrate and disseminate the strengths of our Center.
The goal of this program is to enhance the ability of investigators nationwide to study the basic biology of aging, utilizing state-of-the-art research resources and providing the strongest possible environment for education, communication and research development. Understanding the basis of aging will ultimately help prevent the debilitating diseases of aging and improve the health of the elderly population.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 168 publications
