Characterizing Human Exceptional Longevity

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。这个 申请者Thomas Perls博士是医学和老年病学副教授，创始人兼董事 新英格兰百岁老人研究的。曾获得NIH内科科学家奖(K-12)和Paul 比森衰老研究学院学者奖，珀尔斯博士继续成为一名独立科学家 致力于以病人为中心的研究。具体地说，通过这些早期的指导性奖项，珀尔斯博士 在对一个非常老的队列进行基于人群的表型研究方面拥有丰富的专业知识。他的 他收到了另外四笔NIH补助金(RO-3、R-21和两笔R0-1)，证明了他的独立性。珀尔斯博士 在指导学生和临床研究人员职业生涯的不同阶段方面有着丰富的记录。 他曾指导过五位美国老龄研究联合会医学生老年医学学者，三位 医科预科生和研究生，两名老年学研究员，一名博士前研究员和一名助理 老年病学教授。所有这些学员都成功地与Perls博士一起发表了论文。在执行任务时 他的研究由R01资助，这是一项基于人口的生物人口学研究，针对百岁老人和他们的 家庭，这项K24拨款规定，15%的努力将用于收集初步数据和开发 申请资助一项百岁老人的遗传流行病学研究。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是他职业生涯的一部分 与发展相关的教育目标。这些百岁老人研究为受训者提供了肥沃的土壤 有临床研究方面的实践经验。超凡长寿的无数方面可以用来 从灵性、个性、适应能力和功能储备到人口学和临床的研究 对表观遗传关联的观察。35%的努力将致力于指导已建立的和未来的 指导者。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：在珀尔斯博士的指导下，对人类异常长寿的研究提供了 学员，从学生到初级教员，为学习成功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环境、行为和 基因与特殊生存的联系。随后的发现可能最终会转化为战略 帮助人们更成功地变老。

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.