As the U.S. population ages, it has become increasingly important to understand the fundamental bases of aging. Age is the largest single risk factor for a panoply of diseases, including cardiovascular dysfunction, cancer, type ll diabetes, osteoporosis, and neurodegeneradve disorders. If we could eliminate any one of these diseases, we would incrementally increase the average years of healthy life (health-span) the U.S. population might expect. If, however, we could postpone, or decrease the rate of, aging, we would retard the course of multiple age-related diseases and substantially increase average health-span. Thus, rational approaches to preventing or intervening in age-related disease will depend on an integrated strategy: understanding the specific etiologies of these diseases, and understanding the basic mechanisms of aging. ? ? In four years, this training program successfully brought together a nucleus of outstanding biologists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and University of California at Berkeley (UCB) to train young scientists in basic aging research. We propose to continue and expand this thriving program. The proposed program consists of outstanding scientists from three Bay area institutions: LBNL, UCB and the Buck Institute for Age Research. These institutions now comprise a joint Center for Research and Education in Aging, and the Principal Investigator holds joint appointments at LBNL and the Buck Institute. The proposed preceptors are experienced investigators with diverse but complementary research interests and experimental approaches. The training program will emphasize collaborations among preceptor laboratories, and will be enhanced by the outstanding biomedical research community of the Bay area. ? ? The proposed program will train postdoctoral scientists for a career in aging research. It will offer laboratory experience in a variety of research projects, as well as education through seminars, research meetings, and special symposia, spanning diverse topics of importance and relevance to aging. It will also offer trainees access to outstanding facilities at the three participating institutions, and the opportunity to interact with leading investigators in experimental gerontology. ? ?
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