NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING (NIA): AGING COLONY MAINTENANCE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The National Institute of Aging (NIA) provides per diem support for a colony of 100 aged (17+ years old) nonhuman primates at ONPRC called the Primate Aging Study (PAS). The goal of the PAS colony is to provide investigators with a model system in which to explore mechanisms underlying human aging and disease. Individual animals are all Indian-derived, rhesus monkeys, with a gender ratio currently favoring females, reflecting harem breeding practices. Management includes: 1. Identification and tracking of middle-aged candidates for future enrollment; 2. Identification of animals with desirable phenotypes by scientists from all Divisions (the User's Group); 3. Coordination with the colony manager (Dr. Bland) of the Division of Animal Resources; and 4. Overall colony issues are discussed through the Animal Utilization Committee. Other aspects of PAS management also include the collection, archiving and distribution of tissue specimens from culled animals, reports to the NIA on PAS usage and input to the NIA on issues of aging primate utilization in research. For the latter, meetings have been held that deal with primate aging and biomarkers, menopause, endometriosis and cognitive aging. We also support the NIA Primate Aging Database (at WNPRC), and Tissue Bank (BioReliance). Tissue from aged animals has been distributed right from necropsy or from archives, to scientists internal and external to ONPRC. For example, archived samples were very useful for retrospective pedigree analysis of animals at the Center, since many of the aged animals were a part of the original Founder group.