Academic Career Leadership Award in Aging

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Abstract Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important causal factor in normal aging, and aging-related diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer's disease, cardiac disease, cancer, diabetes and muscle sarcopenia. Age is the strongest risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease, and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease doubles every 5 years in populations over the age of 65. The goal of this K07 Academic Career Leadership Award is to develop a world-class Center in Aging and Mitochondrial Health at UCLA to foster research collaborations, and to educate and train the next generation of leaders in this important field. The proposed Center will be the first of its kind at UCLA and will be led by Dr. Ming Guo. Dr. Guo is an established physician-scientist. She is a clinical specialist on dementia and cognitive impairment, who also investigates roles for mitochondria in aging and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in research realm. The Center's goals will be addressed in three aims: 1) to develop core resources to attract interdisciplinary investigators to engage in aging-related research and to enhance collaborative research projects, including a major effort in Alzheimer’s disease research; 2) to create a comprehensive interdisciplinary training and mentorship program in aging and mitochondrial biology; and 3) to serve as a local and national resource for research on mitochondrial biology in aging. The long-term goals of the Center will be to obtain extramural funding for multi-investigator driven proposals, as well as career development faculty grants and an institutional training grant to sustain the training of postdoctoral scholars and geriatric research fellows. Thus the Center will be a new initiative for UCLA and will be a beacon of excellence for investigators pursuing research into mitochondrial biology, aging and diseases of aging, with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease.