(From the application): This application is for continuation of a training program in Nutritional and Interventional Gerontology for qualities pre- and post-doctoral fellows. The goal of the program is to continue producing independent investigators trained to develop programs of excellence in biogerontology. Trainees have access to one of the strongest aging research environments in the nation. Faculty mentors are supported by 1 NIA Center grant, 2 NIA program projects and 17 individual research projects in the basic biology of aging. The program has 2 specific alms: 1) to offer training in a wide spectrum of well funded research programs at the forefront of aging research, and 2) to provide a broad perspective on current knowledge and critical questions in aging research. A major training focus is the development and analysis of animal models in which aging is modified genetically, nutritionally or pharma-cologically. These models, having retarded or accelerated rates of aging, are then probed for underlying mechanisms of aging using molecular, cellular and integrational approaches. This application is strengthened by the growth in aging research and the recruitment of new faculty with aging research programs at UTHSCSA. This infusion expands training opportunities in molecular genetics, neurobiology and immunology. Interventional approaches available to trainees include: gene targeting, transgenic manipulations, hormone treatments and caloric restriction. Research training areas specifically targeted to aging questions include: DNA repair, free radical biology, glucose regulation, osteoporosis, neuroendocrinology, neurobiology and immunology. Trainees are rigorously selected on the basis of academic excellence, motivation and interest in aging by a selection and steering committee that also monitors their progress. Interactions among trainees and mentors are encouraged and fostered by a weekly interdepartmental meeting on aging research. Trainees have access to the Core resources of the Nathan Shock Center for Excellence in Aging Research. These Cores offer special training opportunities in 1) embryonic stem cell targeting, 2) transgenic rodent develepment, 3) pathological and functional assessment of aging rodents, 4) gene expression profiling, 5) assessment of genomic stability, and 6) bioinformatics. All trainees participate in an annual retreat, a course in the biology of aging, and each year meet more than a dozen gerontologists from the United States and abroad through seminar series sponsored by two basic science departments and the Aging Research & Education Center.
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