Group items tagged

Age is the number one risk factor for diagnosis of many age-related lung diseases, including COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. Despite this, little is known regarding the interactions that likely occur between the molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease and the changes in molecules and cells that can be attributed to normal aging. In fact, very little is known about the normal aging process in the lung at the cellular and molecular level. In 2015, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) co-sponsored a workshop that identified a major knowledge gap in the understanding of normal lung aging in humans, as well as the need to develop a map of molecular changes that occur during normal aging in the lung that can serve as a reference for studies of age-related lung diseases.

This FOA invites applications on descriptive, basic and translational studies of APOE2 to delineate the functional effects of ApoE2 on healthy aging of the brain and other tissues. The primary focus is on the "APOE2-Aging-AD" relationship and the mechanistic effects of the protective variant on aging and potential interaction/cross talk between tissues in the aging process and AD. These studies are expected to generate new mechanistic insights that involve brain and/or other organs and assist in the identification of potential prognostic and diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for AD and other age-related cognitive disorders. Eventually, the findings from these studies could lead to translational research opportunities not only to prevent or delay the onset of AD, but also to protect against multiple age-related conditions.  

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications proposing research on the specific role of aging biology in the development, etiology and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Aging is by far the main risk factor for most chronic diseases, a fact recognized by the field of geroscience. Recent advances in the fields of basic aging biology and geroscience now allow researchers to address mechanistically the role of aging in Alzheimer's disease. Applications that make use of geroscience principles and test the role of different hallmarks of aging biology are specifically appropriate, while those focused solely on aging biology, or solely on Alzheimer's disease will be deemed nonresponsive to the FOA.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications proposing research on the specific role of aging biology in the development, etiology and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Aging is by far the main risk factor for most chronic diseases, a fact recognized by the field of geroscience. Recent advances in the fields of basic aging biology and geroscience now allow researchers to address mechanistically the role of aging in Alzheimer's disease. Applications that make use of geroscience principles and test the role of different hallmarks of aging biology are specifically appropriate, while those focused solely on aging biology, or solely on Alzheimer's disease will be deemed nonresponsive to the FOA.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications to develop valid markers to assess the activity of fundamental aging mechanisms in humans that may influence the risk and progression of multiple aging conditions. Projects are encouraged that focus on selected mechanism(s) that may regulate aging changes, assess multiple possible markers for these mechanisms, test methods to improve their measurement properties, characterize their variability among individuals of differing ages and within the same age cohort, and assess their relationships in humans to in vivo functions influenced by the mechanism(s) under study. It is strongly encouraged that each project includes an interdisciplinary research team with expertise, as needed, in the biology of their selected mechanism(s), biomedical aging research, clinical pathology including laboratory assays, imaging methods, human cohort studies, tissue banking, biorepository resources, and statistics. Though the principal focus of the initiative is on development of markers in humans, studies in laboratory animals may also be conducted when necessary for the development of human markers, and potential development of parallel laboratory animal markers of a given mechanism.

This FOA invites applications on descriptive, basic and translational studies of APOE2 to delineate the functional effects of ApoE2 on healthy aging of the brain and other tissues. The primary focus is on the "ApoE2-Aging-AD" relationship and the mechanistic effects of the protective variant on aging and potential interaction/crosstalk between tissues in the aging process and AD. These studies are expected to generate new mechanistic insights that involve brain and/or other organs and assist in the identification of potential prognostic and diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for AD and other age-related cognitive disorders. Eventually, the findings from these studies could lead to translational research opportunities not only to prevent or delay the onset of AD, but also to protect against multiple age-related conditions.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2015 Cooperative Agreements for State Adolescent and Transitional Aged Youth Treatment Enhancement and Dissemination Planning [State Youth Treatment - Planning (SYT-P)]. The purpose of SYT-P is to provide funding to states/territories/tribes (hereafter known as "states") to develop a comprehensive strategic plan in order to improve treatment for adolescents (ages 12-18) and/or transitional aged youth (ages 16-25) with substance use disorders (SUD) and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (hereafter known as "the population of focus"). The plan will help to assure that youth have access to evidence-based assessments and treatment models and recovery services by strengthening the existing infrastructure system. SYT-P is designed to bring together stakeholders across the systems serving adolescents and transitional aged youth to plan for a coordinated state-wide network to develop policies, expand workforce capacity, disseminate evidence-based practices (EBPs), and implement financial mechanisms and other reforms. The aim is to improve the integration and efficiency of the treatment and recovery support system serving the population of focus. SYT-P seeks to address behavioral health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities by encouraging the implementation of strategies to decrease the differences in access, service use and outcomes among the racial and ethnic minority populations served.

Most survey-based prevalence estimates of type 1 diabetes among adults have been based on self-reported information about a young age at diagnosis (e.g.,30 years and 40 years) and insulin use within a year of diagnosis. However, this estimation approach misses type 1 diabetes in adults with older age of onset and may misclassify some cases of type 2 diabetes as type 1 if insulin use begins soon after diagnosis. The major goal of this project is to evaluate the validity of survey questions (or algorithms based on them) to distinguish between adults (aged 18 years of age) with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in a representative sample of adult diabetic patients in a diabetes patient registry or database. Using a gold standard, validity will be assessed by examining the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of algorithms to identify type of diabetes across demographic strata such as age, sex, and race. A secondary goal is to validate definitions of type of diabetes using electronic health records.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support systematic testing and documentation of innovative and promising practices that enhance the quality, effectiveness, and other proven outcomes of nutrition services programs (NSP) within the aging services network. It is critical that ACL work with the aging services network (i.e., State Units on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), and local partners) to modernize these services to ensure that the NSP is achieving its intended outcomes, and that every dollar is spent effectively to ensure the sustainability of these services. Projects proposed under this grant program must have the potential for broad implementation throughout the aging services network and have demonstrated value, i.e., improvements in participant well-being, cost savings, etc. Innovations must target services to underserved older adults with greatest social and eco

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) invites applications for 3-year planning projects for trials in either of two age ranges (25 to 50 or ? 50 years of age) to determine the effects of sustained (e.g. 5-year) caloric restriction (CR) and other interventions that modify the amount, timing, or composition of nutrient intake on risk factors for aging-related conditions and mechanisms that may influence health span and longevity. Proposed projects must plan for trials with a minimum of three arms: a control group, a CR group, and at least one other nutritional intervention that modifies level, timing, or composition of nutrient intake. Narrower age ranges within the younger and older age groups may be proposed. The projects will support organizational, planning, and protocol development activities, addressing elements such as selection and design of interventions, recruitment, eligibility criteria, selection of pre-specified study outcomes, outcome ascertainment, behavioral interventions to achieve and maintain adherence, adherence measurement, and outcome analysis. The projects will also support pilot studies and data analyses needed for these planning activities.

The purpose of this FOA is to solicit applications for the next 6-year cycle of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which is the leading longitudinal data resource on patterns of age-related changes in the health and well-being of adults age 50 and older in the U.S. The goals of the next cycle are to: 1) continue the current structure and design elements of the HRS while reducing respondent burden; 2) establish a repository of blood samples for future study; 3) enrich administrative linkages and collaborations with genetics consortia; 4) conduct follow-up dementia assessment using the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) to update data on the prevalence of dementia including Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD); 5) enhance harmonization with comparable surveys of population aging; and 6) augment data dissemination and user support. 

This funding opportunity is for competitive grants to be awarded to support systematic testing and documentation of innovative and promising practices that enhance the quality, effectiveness, and proven outcomes of nutrition programs and services within the aging services network. Innovative and promising practice projects awarded through previous INNU announcements have focused on at least one of the following areas; Creating partnerships between Universities and/or other research organizations in collaboration with aging network organizations to develop or test innovative evidence based programs or practices for senior nutrition; Modernizing the congregate and/or home delivered meal program infrastructure, delivery mechanisms, and/or marketing and outreach that can be used by the national aging network to ensure that States are able to maximize the return on their investment in nutrition programs and expanding the reach of the OAA target populations; Enhancing partnerships with health care partners (e.g. oral health, behavioral health, alternative health, and etc.) to further demonstrate the network's value in solving local and national problems, and/or increasing business acumen opportunities and; Advancing the use of technology within the aging and nutrition network Successful awardees will be expected to focus on outcomes including, but not limited to, methods to improve collaboration with local health care entities, decrease health care costs for a specific population, and/or decrease the incidence of the need for institutionalization among older adults.

The Aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP) tests, under standardized conditions, potential intervention strategies which may decelerate the rate of aging in mammals. The rate of aging is to be measured by lifespan extension and/or improvements in health at later ages due to the intervention. The ITP has used lifespan as its primary outcome for an intervention, with limited studies on end-of-life pathologies and selected tests of health across the lifespan (health span). This FOA calls for renewal of the ITP with the following goals: 1) Continue to test compounds for effects on lifespan; 2) Increase histology and pathophysiology analyses at time of death; 3) Increase focused studies of health span on selected compounds.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications to develop short-term tests that provide a comprehensive measure of resilience in animal models used in aging studies. Resilience is defined here as the ability of an organism to respond to physical challenges or stresses and return to homeostasis. Increased resilience is believed to correlate with longevity and a longer health-span, but appropriate methodology to test this comprehensibly in animal models is currently lacking. The purpose of this FOA is to develop appropriate tests to measure resilience to physical, molecular and cellular stresses, as a prelude to being able to predict, using a panel of standardized short-term tests in young or middle-aged animals, whether interventions might lead to improved future health outcomes and longevity.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications to develop short-term tests that provide a comprehensive measure of resilience in animal models used in aging studies. Resilience is defined here as the ability of an organism to respond to physical challenges or stresses and return to homeostasis. Increased resilience is believed to correlate with longevity and a longer health-span, but appropriate methodology to test this comprehensibly in animal models is currently lacking. The purpose of this FOA is to develop appropriate tests to measure resilience to physical, molecular and cellular stresses, as a prelude to being able to predict, using a panel of standardized short-term tests in young or middle-aged animals, whether interventions might lead to improved future health outcomes and longevity.

As health advances allow people to live longer, healthy aging has become an urgent frontier for research. The burden of age-related cognitive impairment - whether from Alzheimer's disease, vascular dysfunction, or other causes - is growing exponentially. To accelerate collaborative brain-aging research, the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association are committing $43 million with additional partners to co-fund a new research initiative with the goal of shedding new light on how to better prevent, detect, and treat age-related cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of this FOA is to invite: 1) descriptive studies to identify putative juvenile protective factors, 2) experimental studies to test hypotheses about their effects on aging and 3) translational studies to characterize potential beneficial and adverse effects of maintaining or modulating the level of juvenile protective factors in adult life. Juvenile protective factors (JPFs), intrinsic to an immature organism, help to maintain or enhance certain physiological functions across all or some stages of postnatal development (i.e., segment of the life span between birth and sexual maturity), but diminish or disappear as the organism transitions from one maturational stage to the next. The loss or diminution of JPFs after a given stage of postnatal development or at time of sexual maturity may contribute to the onset of deleterious aging changes (e.g., compromised stem cell function and reparative capacity) across adulthood. This FOA is uniquely focused on animal and clinical studies which involve comparisons between juvenile versus adult states or between stages of postnatal development to identify putative JPFs and their effects on aging. 

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is a phased innovation initiative to facilitate multi-omics/integrative approaches to identify omics profiles associated with protection against multiple aging conditions, with exceptional health span, and to refine strategies for utilizing these profiles for therapeutics development. Specifically, a phased innovation cooperative agreement mechanism (UH2/UH3) involving an interdisciplinary research team will be used to support a single project that will conduct integrative analysis of person -specific multiple omics measurements (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) generated across multiple tissues ; the multi-omic profiling should be conducted on individuals from extensively phenotyped cohorts with substantial numbers of long-lived individuals with characteristics of exceptionally healthy aging and appropriate controls. It will also: 1) harmonize and extend the use of existing phenotypic data from these studies to apply phenomics to transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic findings, 2) select animal model species or strains with varying life spans for comparative omics studies and identify potential determinants of species differences in longevity and rates of disease development, 3) develop appropriate computational and analytical tools to identify omics profiles associated with exceptional longevity and healthy aging, 4) apply translational bioinformatics approaches and leverage existing publicly available drug signatures databases to identify molecules that could produce profiles associated with exceptionally healthy aging and 5) exchange data with other NIH/NIA-supported related omics activities and other public-private partnerships (e.g., Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed), Accelerating Medicines Partnership- Alzheimers Disease (AMP-AD) for data harmonization and analysis.

The Administration on Aging ACL intends to award one cooperative agreement designed to better understand and address the needs of the aging network through a comprehensive system of documenting and reporting on Area Agencies on Aging and Tribal Organization activities and expertise in health and the delivery of community-based services and supports.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications that expand on foundational research demonstrating generally improved emotional function and emotion regulation with aging, to further clarify the trajectories of change in emotion processing and linked neurobiological factors in adults who are aging normally, as well as in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias (ADRD). The goal is three-fold: to advance understanding of (1) normative maturational shifts in emotional processes, (2) how dysfunction in the integrative neural-behavioral mechanisms of emotional function might manifest in MCI and the early stages of ADRD, and/or (3) how such dysfunction might account for any of the neuropsychiatric symptoms observed in ADRD. Such studies may identify novel targets for interventions or prevention efforts, or provide clues to intervention strategies that might be applied to normalize emotion dysregulation or strengthen emotional resilience at different life stages in normal aging or disease stages in MCI and ADRD.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage basic or clinical research applications that investigate central neural mechanisms of age-related hearing loss in older adults and/or in relevant animal models. This FOA is driven by the need to address a major gap in our understanding of the central pathways and neural networks that are involved in hearing loss and how these may be altered in the context of the aging brain, as well as how natural aging influences central auditory plasticity.