2013 Aging, Biology of Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The 2013 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Biology of Aging will be the twenty-ninth of its kind since inception of the series in 1962. This series is important because research in basic biology of aging has been poorly represented in the large society meetings that have traditionally maintained a major emphasis on gerontological issues and their medical, social, and psychological ramifications. Consequently, basic science investigators have sought the GRC on Biology of Aging as the ideal forum for discussion of recent advances in the field, presentation of new experimental models, challenge of paradigms, networking, and initiation of collaborative projects. As the aging field matures, it s ready to begin to integrate various areas of biology into the basic biology of aging in model organisms. It is also becoming apparent that homeostasis of various cellular processes and tissues declines with age which is causal to the aging process. Hence, the 2013 GRC on the Biology of Aging will focus on "homeostasis and aging." The program focuses on how homeostasis of cellular processes including circadian clocks, stemness, mitochondrial function, fat metabolism and protein turnover declines with age and is causal to the aging process. Furthermore, the conference aims to examine how various tissues including muscle, fat, neurons and gut decline with age and cause system wide perturbations that cause global decline of the organism. All of these greatly expand the horizons of aging research and suggest the pursuit of interventions that have the potential to enhance health span. While much of our knowledge about the biology of aging has derived from studies using model organisms, recently, humans have become the subjects of experiments that test how well these mechanisms are conserved and how they impact aging and age-related diseases in humans. Therefore, reciprocal feedback between investigators in these diverse fields is one of the main objectives of the 2013 Biology of Aging GRC. To accomplish this objective, the 2013 GRC on the Biology of Aging will: 1) promote open discussion of critical questions with particular emphasis on novel mechanisms that could have important translational potential for human aging; 2) provide a forum for the discussion of state-of-the art advances in research in biology of aging; 3) facilitate exchange of ideas and communication of findings that could shape the future goals of the field; 4) promote networking, initiation of international cooperative efforts, and consortiums; and, 5) promote the integration of junior investigators into the established community of aging researchers. This last objective will be met by inclusion of a Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar dedicated to the intellectual and psychological preparation of trainees for full participation in the GRC to follow.