As the US population ages, there is a need of integrated approaches for understanding the specific etiologies of the major age-related diseases and the basic mechanisms of aging. Aging studies will require the application of advanced biochemical, cellular, molecular biology and animal techniques in the coming years. This application is the resubmission for the third competing renewal for a training grant supporting an interdepartmental program in the biology of aging. The current training program has been invigorated in several areas including a) recruiting new, outstanding faculty for the Program; b) selecting a new Co-Director of the training grant; c) offering a new Biology of Aging and Aged Related Diseases course focused on multiple model systems including mice, worms and flies. This course has already attracted a large number of graduate students; d) establishing a bi-monthly trainee research meeting; e) establishing a new seminar series entitled Frontiers in Aging Research Seminar. This seminar, which will be in addition to the bi-weekly Biology of Aging Seminar series that brings local and national speakers, will run bi-monthly and consist of 6, outstanding aging research investigators per year. We have also put in place an Executive Committee responsible for recruitment, selection and yearly review of participating faculty and trainees, and an External Advisory Committee, which will advise the PI and Co-Director on function and direction of the Program. An additional notably achievement is that students from our Program have graduated with extremely strong publication records in high impact journals. We are requesting 1 additional predoctoral slot for a total of 5 pre- and 4 postdoctoral positions. The nature of the training grant is interdepartmental and interdisciplinary, involving faculty from several departments. Accordingly, graduate students and postdoctoral trainees will have training opportunities in a variety of research projects highly relevant to aging. It will also offer opportunities for interactions that will encourage creative research in aging and age-related diseases.
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