Characterization of Marmosets as a Geroscience Model by the San Antonio MAP

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In response to RFA-AG-20-007, we address the FOA to “facilitate the characterization of the marmoset as a laboratory animal for research on aging and age-related diseases” by leveraging the expertise and resources of the San Antonio Marmoset Aging Program (SA MAP). Over the last decade, the SA MAP has made major contributions to our understanding of the physiological and functional changes that occur in aging marmosets including physiological (metabolism, body composition, etc.), functional (cognitive, cardiovascular, etc.), pathological and molecular. Moreover, the SA MAP is at the forefront of using the marmoset for geroscience and has directed studies to address the effect of aging interventions on marmoset lifespan. The SA MAP has built an interactive group of researchers from different backgrounds to take interdisciplinary approaches to address fundamental questions that exist in the changes that occur with age in the marmoset and to meet our overarching goal to characterize and provide a marmoset resource for geroscience research. Characterization of the marmoset for geroscience, particularly in terms of the hallmarks of aging will provide a valuable preclinical model for translation with explicit definitions on how aging affects identifiable physiological, pathological and cellular/molecular outcomes. Moreover, the marmoset will be a valuable preclinical tool for testing potential intervention strategies in terms of pharmacology, their effects of age-related health and even their effects on longevity in the marmoset prior to human translation. The rationale for this work is that utilization of functional assays will identify biomarkers that can be linked to phenotypic syndromes of aging. Building on our strengths, we will also test the extent to which anti-aging interventions affect outcomes of these functional assays to identify whether they can be utilized as metrics of aging in marmosets. Perhaps most importantly, the SA MAP resources able to be devoted to this study are unmatched elsewhere; the SA MAP maintains ~100 aged and geriatric (from 5-18 yr) marmosets as well as banks of tissue (e.g., kidney, liver, brain) collected from animals across the age range. Our first aim is to elucidate and establish the extent to which chronological marmoset age affects the hallmarks of aging. Our second aim is to determine the extent to which short-term anti-aging interventions alter hallmarks of aging and functional phenotypes in the marmoset to strengthen the foundation for marmosets in geroscience. Our third aim is to expand the synergistic interdisciplinary research team to further develop cutting-edge research. By building synergistic research relationships, it is anticipated that funding of this proposal will both elucidate research findings regarding the marmoset model in geroscience as well as develop the next generation of cutting-edge research using this animal.