? The """"""""graying"""""""" of America has increased the importance of research on aging and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and cancer. Success in this arena will require the same approaches that have been identified as key to the national biomedical research enterprise, as delineated in the NIH Roadmap: new pathways to discovery, such as genomics and proteomics; interdisciplinary research teams; and increasing the efficiency with which basic discoveries are translated into clinical advances. ? ? The Buck Institute for Age Research is the only flee-standing institute in the United States devoted to basic research on the biology of aging and age-related diseases. Our long-term objective is to develop early diagnostic markers and therapies to prevent or delay age-associated diseases, so as to extend the healthy years of life, promote longevity and enhance the quality of life at advanced ages. ? ? We request support to help build out 11,700 square feet of existing shell space for new laboratories. The proposed plan would enable the Buck Institute to accomplish its aims to recruit 8 new principal investigators and thereby achieve a critical mass of scientists; add expertise in genetics of longevity, age associated DNA damage, and related fields; concentrate investigators employing diverse approaches to aging research in contiguous space; expand genomics and proteomics core facilities; enhance research training programs; develop a Discovery Translation Unit to provide high-throughput screening and streamline translation of basic research to the clinic; and create new opportunities for collaboration among Buck Institute investigators. ? ?
