Shock Center for Aging Research at The Jackson Laborato*

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): To identify genes and explore molecular pathways that regulate aging and susceptibility to age-related disorders in humans, well-characterized and genetically defined mice offer a choice model system. The Jackson Laboratory has a wealth of inbred and mutant strains of mice, expertise in mouse husbandry, and diversity of expertise in the biology of the mouse as it applies to aging. Establishing a Nathan Shock Center for Excellence in the Biology of Aging at The Jackson Laboratory will support an already significant level of age-related research here and, through a Research Development Core, attract both established investigators and new recruits to explore the relationship of their own research programs with questions pertinent to aging. Moreover, because The Jackson Laboratory is an international resource for information and unique strains of mice, the contribution of a Nathan Shock Center here will be leveraged nationally. Mice from individual Center members' research colonies will be aged in a dispersed Animal Core, that will open an enormous variety of genetic resources relevant to aging to other Center members and external scientists. The Phenome Core will offer an entirely new capability for predictive quantitative trait analysis to accelerate genetic analysis of the biology of aging, by characterizing parameters of aging for a set of commonly used, genetically diverse strains of mice and curating the data with detailed genomic sequence and mapping data in the publicly available Mouse Phenome Database. The Center will also support enhanced capabilities for invivo imaging, physiological measurements, and microscopy to evaluate phenotypes of aging through a Phenotyping Core. The Computing Core will provide support for statistical genetics analysis and workflow management tools. In sum, the Nathan Shock Center at The Jackson Laboratory will lead to enhanced resources for the international community and better understanding of the molecular mechanisms at work in aging and its associated disorders.