Basic Mechanisms in Aging and Age Related Disease

巴克老年研究所（Buck Institute for Age Research）是美国唯一一个专门从事衰老生物学和年龄相关疾病基础研究的独立机构。其密集的，跨学科的，全机构的老龄化研究方法代表了一种新的模式，不同于传统的大学为基础的方法，其中老龄化的研究是众多学科之一，遍布整个机构，并与其他学科竞争稀缺的科学资源。自巴克研究所开始运作以来的五年里，它对老龄化研究进行了大量投资和承诺。在此过程中，巴克研究所的研究人员对衰老生物学和年龄相关疾病的研究做出了重要贡献，包括阿尔茨海默病，帕金森病，中风和癌症，该研究所已成为主要的衰老研究中心。我们相信，巴克研究所非常适合实现Nathan Shock衰老基础生物学卓越中心计划的目标-提高机构在衰老基础研究方面具有完善的研究计划的能力，以利用最先进的研究资源，并通过以下方式为衰老研究提供最强大的环境：（a）提高老龄化基础生物学研究的质量（B）促进老龄化研究活动的规划和协调（c）为老龄化研究的新手提供支持和合适的环境（d）发展潜在的区域或国家资源中心。为了实现这些目标，我们建议在巴克研究所建立一个休克中心，其核心如下：一个动物/转基因核心，提供动物护理和程序以及转基因/敲除生产，一个成像核心，其中现有的形态学资源将补充功能成像技术，一个基因组学核心，将生产cDNA和寡核苷酸微阵列芯片，并提供微阵列分析服务，以及蛋白质组学核心，使用质谱和新的化学方法来识别与衰老和年龄相关疾病相关的翻译后修饰和蛋白质相互作用网络。最后，研究开发核心将通过博士后培训计划，研究开发研究研讨会，试点项目奖励初级研究人员和新的老龄化领域的研究人员，以及高中和大学学生的暑期学者计划，促进老龄化研究的研究人员和项目的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Buck Institute for Age Research is the only free-standing institute in the United States that is devoted exclusively to basic research on the biology of aging and age-related diseases. Its intensive, interdisciplinary, institution-wide approach to aging research represents a new model, distinct from the traditional university-based approach in which the study of aging is one of numerous disciplines, spread throughout an institution, and competing with other disciplines for scarce scientific resources. In the five years since the Buck Institute began operation, it has made a substantial investment in and commitment to aging research. In the process, Buck Institute investigators have made important contributions to research on the biology of aging and age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and cancer, and the Institute has established itself as a major aging research center. We believe that the Buck Institute is ideally suited to fulfill the goal of the Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in Basic Biology of Aging program - to enhance the ability of institutions with well-developed research programs in basic research on aging to utilize state-of-the-art research resources and provide the strongest environment for the conduct of research on aging by: (a) enhancing the quality of research in the basic biology of aging (b) facilitating the planning and coordination of aging research activities (c) providing support and a suitable environment for investigators new to aging research and (d) developing potential regional or national resource centers. To achieve these objectives, we propose to establish a Shock Center at the Buck Institute with the following Cores: An Animal/Transgenics Core offering animal care and procedures and transgenic/knockout production, an Imaging Core in which existing morphology resources will be supplemented with functional imaging technology, a Genomics Core that will produce cDNA and oligo microarray chips and offer microarray analysis services, and a Proteomics Core using mass spectrometry and new chemical methods to identify posttranslational modifications and protein-protein interaction networks associated with aging and age-related diseases. Finally, a Research Development Core will foster the development of investigators and projects in aging research through postdoctoral training programs, Research Development Research Seminars, Pilot Project awards to junior investigators and investigators new to the aging field, and a Summer Scholars program for high school and college students from underrepresented minority backgrounds.