Comparative Organismal Energetics Core

Project Summary (Comparative Organismal Energetics Core) The central theme of the UAB/IU Nathan Shock Center (NSC) concerns how energy flux at the level of the cell, tissue, or whole animal affects health and longevity. The Comparative Organismal Energetics Core (Organismal Core) addresses the biology of aging by specializing in measuring whole animal energy flux in a range of species under a variety of environmental, dietary, and behavioral conditions. The “variety of conditions” point is critical to understanding the utility of this Core as changes in those conditions can have dramatic impact in health and energy flux. The Organismal Core has also pioneered assessment of body composition in living flies and zebrafish as well as assessment of metabolic rate in individual fruit flies and worms. We particularly emphasize that the assays described herein can be performed under a range of environmental, behavioral, and dietary conditions as requested by investigators. This Core provides specialized expertise in the development and utilization of methodologies, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and the selection of animal models to facilitate understanding the contribution of energetics to biological aging, including how nutritional, genetic, and biochemical interventions that impact aging research. The Organismal Core can precisely measure energy acquisition, storage, and utilization in a variety of animal models of healthspan and lifespan. This Core now offers expanded comparative energetics services for health- and life-span modes ranging from single-celled yeast to invertebrates, thereby addressing the overall theme of the UAB/IU Shock Center. The Core will provide expertise in the area of energetics and body composition in multiple animal models of aging. It will also provide state-of-the- art instrumentation and methodology for the determination of in vivo body composition and energy balance across the lifespan. It contains state-of-the-art instrumentation and methodologies for evaluating healthspan–associated behaviors or model organisms of aging and will develop new methodologies for assessing energetics/body composition as necessary. Finally, this Core will provide education and training on procedures and pitfalls in comparative organismal energetics.