Nathan Shock Center for Excellence in Basic Biology of Aging

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT OVERALL Healthy aging is a complex process influenced by genetic, environmental, and life history factors that may accelerate or delay aging and reduce or increase disease risk. Assessing the contribution of the myriads of factors affecting aging requires an experimental model system to control unwanted variation and isolate component effects while also reflecting the heterogeneity of human aging. The laboratory mouse has emerged as the mammalian model system of choice for aging research. With this proposal, The Jackson Laboratory Nathan Shock Center (JAX NSC) seeks to further develop and disseminate the next generation of genetic, phenotyping, and information resources necessary to enable a deeper understanding of healthy aging. Over the past 20 years, the JAX NSC has transformed aging research both at JAX and across the geroscience community by providing resources to support investigators. This resulted in 20 peer-reviewed publications in the current funding period. The Center has developed nascent regional and national resources for aging research, including aged mice and tissues that support collaborations with internal and external researchers. All JAX NSC data and protocols are disseminated through the Mouse Phenome Database and the JAX NSC website, ensuring that the resources generated and expertise acquired through the Center are readily available to the aging research community. In this renewal, we will build on the strength of past successes while also expanding the scope of our experimental strategies, for example, to examine reproductive life history interventions in aged mouse populations. We will develop and provide access to unique resources and tools, as well as provide support to geroscience investigators by enabling them to leverage JAX’s unparalleled expertise in the characterization of health and lifespan in aging mice. We will do this by providing effective Center administration and enhancing the utility of JAX NSC resources throughout the aging community (Aim 1); expanding the research focus on aging, late-life health and age-related diseases through a robust Research Development Core (Aim 2); increasing the diversity of mouse resources available for aging research, including a new study to investigate the effects of reproductive life history on the late-life health of female mice (Aim 3); strengthening the data and computational support available to the aging community (Aim 4); and expanding the use of machine learning technologies to the interpretation of aging pathologies (Aim 5). The Center will be led by a highly experienced team of Principal Investigators and Core Leads who, with oversight from our External Advisory Board, will provide effective management to facilitate the goals and objectives of the Center. The Center will leverage the world-class institutional resources, facilities, and expertise of The Jackson Laboratory, a globally renowned institution for mouse genetics research, to enhance its goals and maximize the utility of the resources it generates for the broader geroscience research community.