TRAINING GRANT ON THE BIOLOGY OF AGING

衰老生物学培训补助金

• 批准号: 7690775
• 负责人: STEVEN N. AUSTAD
• 金额: $ 62.2万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-05-01 至 2013-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7690775
• 关键词: Biology of Aging; Grant; Training

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed program represents a 5-year continuation of an institutional training grant in the biology of aging, which was consolidated in 2003 from two departmental training grants. We request funds to support 10 predoctoral and 6 postdoctoral trainees. The impending avalanche of elderly in the US combined with major recent advances in understanding fundamental mechanisms of aging has created a substantial demand for researchers trained to investigate means of delaying and relieving the ailments of an aging population. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is a premier research institution in the biology of aging, currently receiving more research funding from the Biology of Aging Program of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) than any other stand-alone medical institution. The primary goal of the proposed Training Program is to intellectually prepare both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for careers as leaders in basic biological research in aging. The Training Program involves 25 faculty members (14 men, 11 women) and takes advantage of the synergies created by intensely collaborative personnel, the unique resources available from our Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Biology of Aging and the institutional commitment to, and expanding resources of, the Barshop Institute itself. Trainees will be chosen competitively based on academic excellence, their interest in aging research, and motivation for careers in research. The main activity of each trainee is the development of their faculty-supervised research project, which because of the extent of collaboration among our faculty tends to result surprisingly often in team mentorships. Another key component is to require broad knowledge in the biology of aging acquired in our two biology of aging courses such that trainees can place their research in an appropriate scientific context. In addition to this formal didactic training, we require trainees to attend the weekly Aging Research Journal Club and the Barshop Institute seminar series. Our program also emphasizes training in scientific communication with multiple venues for trainees to hone skills in both written and oral presentation. The timing of the proposed Training Program is propitious in that it will span the transition of our graduate student program from its current status as a Special Biology of Aging Track within the Department of Cellular & Structural Biology to its future status as an independent graduate program - the nation's first Ph.D. program in the Biology of Aging. That transition process has already been initiated and will be completed during the proposed funding period. This application is a new training program for research scientists in the areas of genetics of aging, lifespan intervention analyses in animal models, and age-related diseases. Pre- and post-doctoral fellows (10 and 6 per year respectively) will be trained in the biology of aging. The trainees will participate in projects involving: programmed changes in gene expression; somatic mutations and epigenetic changes in gene expression; free radicals, DNA damage and DNA repair; aging of endocrine and immune systems; transmembrane signaling; oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis; and the molecular aspects of age-associated diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and prostatic hyperplasia and neoplasia. The Biology of Aging course and journal clubs on current topics in gerontology will provide the formal setting for didactic training. The Aging Seminar Series will be the focal point of interactions of the trainees with eminent scientists working in the field of aging. Trainees will be selected based on their interest in aging, academic excellence, and motivation for careers in research, instruction and service as reflected from their academic records, and letters of recommendations. The Institutional core facilities for generating transgenic mice, biometry, recombinant DNA technology, hybridoma, flow cytometry microassay and confocal microscopy will be available to all trainees and the participating faculty. This program is comprised of 27 faculty trainers of whom 22 are funded by the NIA. Two are newly recruited Assistant Professors with a clear interest in aging. The three senior investigators with other funding are interested in aging, involved in teaching in the Aging course, and participating in the journal club, and provide research interests that add to, rather than duplicate, that of the other trainers. As a result, the trainees will have a broad range of research to choose from and they will work with individuals who have demonstrated their training ability. San Antonio has the unique situation of having access to and recruiting minorities from the undergraduate universities in the area, e.g., University of Texas at San Antonio and St. Mary's University. A strong effort will be made to do just this. Support of this program has all the potential of training a much needed group of scientists; the gerontologists of the future.

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的计划代表了5年的机构培训补助金在生物学老化，这是在2003年从两个部门的培训赠款合并的延续。我们要求资助10名博士前和6名博士后学员。美国即将到来的老年人雪崩，加上最近在了解衰老基本机制方面的重大进展，对接受过培训的研究人员产生了大量需求，以研究延缓和缓解人口老龄化疾病的方法。位于圣安东尼奥的德克萨斯大学健康科学中心是衰老生物学的主要研究机构，目前从国家衰老研究所（NIA）的衰老生物学项目获得的研究资金比任何其他独立的医疗机构都多。拟议的培训计划的主要目标是在智力上准备研究生和博士后研究员的职业生涯作为基础生物学研究在老龄化的领导者。该培训计划涉及25名教师（14名男性，11名女性），并利用了密切合作的人员所创造的协同作用，从我们的内森休克卓越中心提供的独特资源，以及对机构的承诺，并扩大Barshop研究所本身的资源。学员将根据学术成就，他们对老龄化研究的兴趣以及对研究职业的动机进行竞争性选择。每个学员的主要活动是他们的教师监督的研究项目的发展，这是因为我们的教师之间的合作程度往往会导致令人惊讶的往往是团队指导。另一个关键组成部分是需要在我们的两个衰老生物学课程中获得的衰老生物学方面的广泛知识，以便学员能够将他们的研究置于适当的科学背景下。除了这种正式的教学培训，我们要求学员参加每周老化研究杂志俱乐部和Barshop研究所系列研讨会。我们的课程还强调科学交流的培训，为学员提供多个场地，以磨练书面和口头陈述的技能。拟议的培训计划的时机是有利的，因为它将跨越我们的研究生课程的过渡，从目前的状态作为细胞与结构生物学系内的衰老轨道的特殊生物学，以其未来的地位作为一个独立的研究生课程-全国第一个博士学位。衰老生物学中的一个项目。这一过渡进程已经启动，并将在拟议供资期间完成。 该应用程序是一个新的培训计划，为研究科学家在衰老遗传学，动物模型中的寿命干预分析和与年龄相关的疾病领域。博士前和博士后研究员（每年分别为10名和6名）将接受衰老生物学方面的培训。受训人员将参加的项目涉及：基因表达的程序性变化;基因表达的体细胞突变和表观遗传变化;自由基、DNA损伤和DNA修复;内分泌和免疫系统的老化;跨膜信号;细胞生长、分化和凋亡中的癌基因和抑癌基因;以及与年龄相关的疾病如阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病和前列腺增生和肿瘤的分子方面。老龄生物学课程和期刊俱乐部在老年学当前的主题将提供正式的教学培训设置。老龄化研讨会系列将是学员与老龄化领域杰出科学家互动的焦点。学员将根据他们对老龄化的兴趣，学术卓越，以及从他们的学术记录和推荐信中反映的研究，教学和服务职业的动机来选择。用于产生转基因小鼠、生物统计学、重组DNA技术、杂交瘤、流式细胞术微量测定和共聚焦显微镜的机构核心设施将提供给所有学员和参与教师。该计划由27名教员培训师组成，其中22名由NIA资助。两个是新招聘的助理教授，对衰老有明显的兴趣。三名有其他资金的高级研究人员对衰老感兴趣，参与衰老课程的教学，并参加期刊俱乐部，并提供增加而不是重复其他培训师的研究兴趣。因此，受训人员将有广泛的研究可供选择，他们将与那些表现出培训能力的人一起工作。圣安东尼奥有一个独特的情况，即可以从该地区的本科大学获得并招募少数民族，例如，德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校和圣玛丽大学。将为此作出巨大努力。对这一计划的支持有可能培养出一批急需的科学家，即未来的老年病学家。