Aging Animals and Functional Assessment Core

The Aging Animal and Functional Assessment Core (Animal Core) continues a long history of leadership, innovation, service, mentoring, and training in mammalian aging studies as a part of the San Antonio Nathan Shock Center (SA NSC). The resources of the core include established and unique animal models, state-of-the- art animal husbandry and facilities, and the expertise required for training and performing studies using mammalian models to delineate the biology of aging and identify strategies to promote healthy aging. The Animal Core has decades of experience in applying gerotherapeutics to rodent and nonhuman primate models of aging and integrating with the other Research Cores of the SA NSC to clarify how targeting the biology of aging can affect lifespan, healthspan and pathological outcomes. This specific aims of the Core are: 1. To breed, maintain, and age new and established aging rodent models and provide access to animal models of exceptional interest to geroscience and preclinical translation. 2. To conduct studies of genetic, nutritional, and pharmacologic interventions across the lifespan of mammalian models. 3. To provide validated age-sensitive physiologic (healthspan) measures across the lifespan of mammalian models. 4. To provide consultation, training, and developmental opportunities to investigators, including faculty and trainees, on the design, approaches, and requirements for rigor and reproducibility in aging animal research. The Animal Core uses facilities that are specifically designed for exclusive husbandry of aging animals and provides exceptional continuity of care and data collection by highly trained staff. Importantly, it provides unique access to aging mice, rats, naked and Damaraland mole-rats and marmosets, and their tissues, as well as integrates directly with the other SA NSC research cores to accelerate transformative discoveries for supported investigators and the field of aging biology. This is highlighted by the contributions of the Animal Core to specific outcomes over the current funding cycle, including through research, manuscript and grant support. Our outcomes have contributed to impactful advances in geroscience including: a) discovering that testicular hormones drive vulnerability and shortened lifespan of male genetically diverse mice; b) refining survival analysis of mammalian aging studies enabling discovery of the age-range efficacy of life-extending compounds; c) delineating molecular, functional and longevity outcomes of dietary, small molecule compounds, and stem cells transplant interventions; d) defining new biomarkers, tools and translational models of aging in the marmoset, including drug interventions; and e) clarifying common misconceptions about aging and naked mole-rats. These and other advances underscore the Animal Core’s importance as a generator of geroscience discovery.