Geroscience: New Scientific Discipline Aimed At Intersection Of Normal Aging And Disease

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 15 Aug 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Aging is the single largest risk factor for disease in developed nations. Geroscience, a new scientific discipline established at the Buck Institute for Age Research, is aimed at turning that risk factor on its head. The goal of Geroscience -- which was recently recognized in the report accompanying the U.S. Senate Appropriations on the FY2010 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Bill -- is to slow the aging process, thereby delaying the onset of a range of afflictions that impact mortality and quality of life.

"Our hypothesis is that conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and osteoporosis are part and parcel of the fundamental aging process, with the conditions being caused by accelerated aging in different tissues of the body," said Geroscience project director and Buck faculty member Gordon Lithgow, PhD. "While efforts to address these diseases one by one have merit, we believe the greatest potential benefit lies in targeting that single risk factor."

Geroscience, which was established at the Buck Institute with a $25 million National Institutes of Health Roadmap Grant, includes molecular genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, chemical biology, cancer biology, Alzheimer's disease research, endocrinology, epigenetics, invertebrate aging, nutrition, bioenergetics, Parkinson's disease research, molecular epidemiology, Huntington's disease research, ischemia (stroke), proteomics, human embryonic stem cells, genomic stability, bioinformatics and statistics.

"Imagine a scientific think tank focused on this one biological mystery," said Lithgow. "Here we are, under one roof, examining the underpinnings of aging and disease, trying to understand what sets off this cascade of illness as we age in order to slow it down".

Collaboration and cross-training are emphasized in the Geroscience program, with scientists proactively going outside their "comfort" zones to test new hypotheses. For example, cancer cell biologists are collaborating on a small molecule screening to identify compounds that would prevent cells that have stopped dividing from secreting inflammatory agents that drive both cancer and aging. Genes that impact aging in microscopic nematode worms are being screened for activity in human embryonic stem cells. Independent projects are underway with both a breast cancer lab and a basic biology of aging lab to understand how microRNA's can affect gene expression in Parkinson's disease. Buck faculty member Julie Andersen, PhD, who runs a lab focused on Parkinson's disease said, "The breadth and scope of interdisciplinary research at the Buck has allowed our laboratory to extend our research beyond its past borders into areas that I would have only dreamed of being involved in 5 to 10 years ago."

In research published this year, Buck scientists revealed that a protein that plays a key role in tumor formation, oxygen metabolism and inflammation is also involved in a pathway that extends lifespan by dietary restriction. Researchers also uncovered a process involved in DNA damage response that controls communication from cell to cell; when cells experiencing DNA damage fail to repair themselves, they send a signal to their neighbors letting them know they're in trouble it's a discovery which has implications for both cancer and aging. Another lab published a large scale human protein network indicating that longevity proteins are highly connected "hubs" involved in complex cellular function. The research shows that when it comes to the aging process, yeast, nematode worms and fruit flies have more in common with humans than previously expected.

"It's an exciting time to be involved in this work," said Lithgow, who mentioned the aforementioned Senate report which recognized the importance of "the emerging interdisciplinary research approach known as Geroscience". In the report the Committee acknowledged that, "Given the size of the aging baby boomer population and the incidence of chronic disease in an aging society, it is critical to devote increased resources to understanding the connection between aging and disease." Lithgow also referred to a recent Census Bureau report which shows that within 10 years our planet will be home to more people over the age of 65 than children under the age of five. "This demographic milestone will be a first in human history," said Lithgow. "We know the pressure is on for Geroscience to deliver on its promise of extending the healthy years of life."

About the Buck Institute:

The Buck Institute, located in Novato, CA, is the only freestanding institute in the United States that is devoted solely to basic research on aging and age-associated disease. The Institute is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to extending the healthspan, the healthy years of each individual's life. The National Institute of Aging designated the Buck a "Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging," one of just five centers in the country. Buck Institute scientists work in an innovative, interdisciplinary setting to understand the mechanisms of aging and to discover new ways of detecting, preventing and treating conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, cancer and stroke. Collaborative research at the Institute is supported by new developments in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics technology.

Source: Buck Institute for Age Research