Characterizing Human Exceptional Longevity

描述(由申请人提供)： 这是一份修订后的以患者为中心的研究生涯中期研究人员奖(K24)的申请书。申请者Thomas Perls博士是医学和老年病学副教授，也是新英格兰百岁老人研究项目的创始人和主任。在获得美国国立卫生研究院内科科学家奖(K-12)和保罗·比森学院老龄研究学者奖后，珀尔斯博士成为一名致力于以患者为导向的研究的独立科学家。具体地说，通过这些早期的指导性奖项，珀尔斯博士发展了对一个极其古老的队列进行基于人群的表型研究的专业知识。他的独立性体现在他收到了另外四笔NIH补助金(RO-3、R-21和两笔R0-1)。珀尔斯博士有在学生和临床研究人员职业生涯的不同阶段指导他们的丰富记录。他曾指导过五名美国老龄研究联合会老年医学学生学者、三名医学预科和研究生、两名老年医学研究员、一名博士前研究员和一名老年医学助理教授。所有这些学员都成功地与Perls博士一起发表了论文。在实现他的R01资助的研究的目标的同时，这项K24赠款规定，15%的努力将致力于收集初步数据和开发应用程序，以资助百岁老人的遗传流行病学研究。作为与职业发展相关的教育目标的一部分，珀尔斯博士将参加生物伦理学、负责任的临床调查和遗传流行病学课程。这些百岁老人的研究为学员提供了在临床研究中获得实践经验的肥沃土壤。从灵性、个性、适应能力和功能储备，到人口统计学和临床观察，再到表观遗传关联，超乎寻常的长寿有无数方面可供研究。35%的努力将致力于指导已建立的和未来的被辅导者。一个具有广泛培训计划的庞大和多样化的学术社区将确保 一大批高素质和有才华的学员。 与公共健康相关：在Perls博士的指导下对人类非凡长寿的研究，为从学生到初级教员的受训者提供了肥沃的土壤，为研究成功老龄化的广泛方面提供了肥沃的土壤，从宗教、个性、适应能力和功能储备到与非凡生存的环境、行为和基因关联。随后的发现可能最终会转化为帮助人们更成功地变老的策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a revised application for a Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24). The applicant, Dr. Thomas Perls, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics and Founder and Director of the New England Centenarian Study. Having received an NIH physician scientist award (K-12) and a Paul Beeson Faculty Scholar in Aging Research Award, Dr. Perls proceeded to become an independent scientist devoted to patient-oriented research. Specifically, through these earlier mentored awards, Dr. Perls developed expertise in conducting a population-based phenotypic study of an extremely old cohort. His independence is demonstrated by his receipt of four other NIH grants (RO-3, R-21 and two R0-1s). Dr. Perls has a substantial record of mentoring students and clinical investigators at various stages of their careers. He has mentored five American Federation of Aging Research Medical Student Geriatrics Scholars, three premedical and pre-graduate school students, two geriatrics fellows, a pre-doctoral fellow and an Assistant Professor in Geriatrics. All of these trainees successfully published papers with Dr. Perls. While carrying out the aims of his R01-funded study, a population-based bio-demographic study of centenarians and their families, this K24 grant provides that 15% effort will be devoted to gathering preliminary data and developing applications to fund a genetic epidemiological study of centenarians. Dr. Perls will attend courses in bioethics, responsible conduct of clinical investigations and genetic epidemiology as a part of his career development-related education goals. These centenarian studies provide fertile ground for mentees to gain hands-on experience in clinical research. Innumerable aspects of exceptional longevity are available for study from spirituality, personality, adaptive capacity and functional reserve, to demographic and clinical observations to epigenetic associations. 35% effort will be dedicated to mentoring established and future mentees. A large and diverse academic community with a broad spectrum of training programs will ensure an ample pool of highly qualified and talented mentees. Relevance to public health: The study of human exceptional longevity under Dr. Perls's mentorship, provides trainees, from students to junior faculty, fertile ground for studying a broad range of aspects of successful aging from religion, personality, adaptive capacity and functional reserve to environmental, behavioral and genetic associations with exceptional survival. Subsequent findings may ultimately translate into strategies that help people age more successfully.