Council Minutes — January 2024

The 151st Meeting
National Advisory Council on Aging
January 23-24, 2024

CONTENTS

1. REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
2. CALL TO ORDER
3. REPORT: TASK FORCE ON MINORITY AGING RESEARCH
4. REPORT: WORKING GROUP ON PROGRAM
5. COUNCIL GUEST SPEAKER
6. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (DN)
7. INTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAM UPDATE
8. ADJOURNMENT
9. CERTIFICATION

Attachment A: Roster of the National Advisory Council on Aging
Attachment B: Director’s Status Report to Council

The 151st meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) was convened on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 10 a.m. by videoconference. Dr. Richard Hodes, Director, National Institute on Aging (NIA), presided.

In accordance with the provisions of Public Law 92–463, the meeting was closed to the public on Tuesday, January 23, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the review, discussion, and evaluation of grant applications in accordance with the provisions set forth in Sections 552(b)(c)(4) and 552(b)(c)(6), Title 5, U.S. Code and Section 10(d) of Public Law 92–463.¹ The meeting was open to the public on Wednesday, January 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

I. REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS

This portion of the meeting was closed to the public, in accordance with the determination that it concerned matters exempt from mandatory disclosure under Sections 552(b)(c)(4) and 552(b)(c)(6), Title 5, U.S. Code and Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix).²

A total of 2,423 applications requesting $8,104,899,259 for all years underwent initial review. The Council recommended 1,309 awards for a total of $5,253,861,323 for all years. The actual funding of the awards recommended is determined by the availability of funds, percentile ranks, priority scores, and program relevance.

II. CALL TO ORDER

Dr. Kenneth Santora welcomed members to the open session of the 151st NACA meeting. Dr. Hodes called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

1. Dr. Hodes spoke about the late Dr. Judy Campisi, a pioneer in aging research with a distinguished history of service to NIA, including as a NACA member from 1999 to 2002. NACA members recognized her valued scientific and mentorship contributions to the field.

   Currently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and most other federal agencies are funded through March 8, 2024, via a Continuing Resolution. On June 14, 2023, the House Labor-Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spending bill advanced out of subcommittee and is awaiting consideration by the full committee, followed by the House. If enacted, NIH would receive $43 billion, a $3.8 billion decrease from fiscal year (FY) 2023, and NIA would receive $4.41 billion as flat funding relative to FY 2023. On July 27, 2023, the Senate Labor-HHS spending bill advanced out of the full Committee on Appropriations and now awaits a Senate vote. If the Senate spending bill is enacted, NIH would receive $47.8 billion, a $943 million increase from FY 2023, and NIA would receive $4.51 billion, an increase of more than $100 million from FY 2023. NIH’s budget includes increases of $90 million for Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) research and $12 million for palliative care research. The proposed Senate bill would also provide an additional $10 million to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for AD/ADRD research.

   Because a new spending bill has not been enacted, NIH will remain cautious in its assumptions of available funds and interim pay lines. For grants under $500,000 in direct costs reviewed by the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR), the NIA pay line is the eighth percentile (11th and 13th percentiles for new investigator [NI] and early-stage investigator [ESI] R01s, respectively). For grants over $500,000 in direct costs reviewed by CSR, the pay line is the 5th percentile (8th and 10th percentiles for NI and ESI R01s, respectively). For AD/ADRD grants under $5 million in direct costs reviewed by CSR, the pay line is the 12th percentile (15th and 17th percentiles for NI and ESI R01s, respectively). For AD/ADRD grants over $5 million in direct costs reviewed by CSR, the pay line is the 10th percentile (13th and 15th percentiles for NI and ESI R01s, respectively). For NIA-reviewed grants, the interim general pay lines are an overall impact score of 10 for program projects, 10 for other NIA-reviewed research, 18 for career development awards, and 20 for fellowship awards. NIA-reviewed AD/ADRD grant interim pay lines are an overall impact score of 12 for program projects, 12 for other NIA-reviewed research, 25 for career development awards, and 30 for fellowship awards.

   Dr. Hodes summarized NIA updates. NIA is supporting 488 AD/ADRD clinical trials, with 213 dementia care and caregiving trials; 171 non-pharmacological trials; 73 pharmacological trials; 23 diagnostic tools, assessments, and imaging studies; and 8 neuropsychiatric symptom treatment trials. Of the 213 dementia care and caregiving trials, 44 focus on formal care settings, 43 on improvement of caregiver health and well-being, and 27 on caregiver assessments, tools, training, and education. Of the 171 non-pharmacological studies, 43 are testing exercise, 27 neurostimulation, and 20 cognitive training. Current pharmacological clinical trials target a variety of disease processes, including amyloid, inflammation, receptors, metabolism/bioenergetics, vasculature, circadian rhythm, and tau. Non-pharmacological trials focus primarily on exercise, neurostimulation, and cognitive training, but also other modalities including sleep, diet/supplements, and social engagement. The neuropsychiatric trials consist of pharmacological (5) and non-pharmacological (3) interventions.

   At the request of Congress, NIA and NINDS have entered into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to identify research priorities for preventing and treating AD/ADRD. The National Academies has formed an ad hoc committee to perform the study, with a final report expected by March 2025.

   On November 27, 2023, NIA leadership met with the Cherokee Nation Chief and other tribal leaders at the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center on Cherokee sovereign land. They discussed areas of mutual interest, including tribal leadership’s scientific priorities for the Cherokee Nation. NIA leadership toured the outpatient center, an inpatient hospital under construction, and the Oklahoma State University-College of Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, the only college of medicine located on Native American sovereign land in the United States. The Cherokee Nation and the Oklahoma State Health Sciences Campus, along with other partners, hosted the 2023 NIA Director’s Regional Meeting on November 28, 2023. This meeting provided information about NIA and career development and training opportunities in aging research and included virtual breakout sessions with representatives from NIA extramural divisions. Dr. Hodes noted that NIA leadership will continue visiting areas of the United States and institutions with historically fewer opportunities for NIA interactions.

   Since September 2023, NIA has released 21 research highlights of NIA-supported publications, 18 blog posts, and 3 news announcements. In addition, senior NIA leadership has participated in 20 meetings with interest and advocacy groups as well as 6 Congressional briefings or hearings.

   This year, NIA will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a series of activities throughout 2024 meant to highlight progress and inspire future generations of aging researchers. Dr. Hodes encouraged meeting participants to engage in social media regarding NIA research and career development and to share their aging research journey using #NIAWhereResearchComesOfAge.

   The Breakthrough Prize Foundation awarded the 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences to Andrew Singleton, Director of the NIH Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias; Ellen Sidransky, Senior Investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute; and Thomas Gasser at the University of Tubingen, for their work in identifying risk genes for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and implicating autophagy and lysosomal biology as contributors to PD pathogenesis.

   NIA will co-host multiple meetings and research summits during 2024. From August 21 to 23 on the NIH Main Campus, NIA will host the Butler-Williams Scholars Program meeting for junior faculty and researchers new to the field of aging. The Cognitive Aging Summit IV will occur on March 20 and 21 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, and the 2024 NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit: Path to Precision Medicine for Treatment and Prevention will be held September 23 to 25.

   On November 7, 2023, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli was confirmed as the new director of NIH. Her guiding principles for NIH institutes and centers include continued prioritization of NIH database harmonization and efforts to increase the diversity of clinical trial participants. NIH will continue to treat patients as partners in research and discovery. NIH will also prioritize use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to advance biomedical research. While NIH remains hopeful that budget cuts will be avoided, a flat budget will significantly impact scientific progress.

   In 2023, Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell became the 17th director of the National Cancer Institute, and Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo was named the 6th director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

   Dr. Sohail Khan thanked NIA leadership for visiting the Cherokee Nation and expressed interest in hosting other NIH leaders in the future. Dr. Hodes welcomed suggestions for other geographic areas that have historically had minimal contact with NIA and NIH as future locations for regional meetings. Dr. Jennifer Manly suggested that NIA leadership schedule visits to community colleges near larger conference locations; notably, nearby community colleges are usually invited to NIA regional meetings. Dr. Maritza Ciliberto suggested that NIA leadership consider visiting U.S. territories; a 2021 regional meeting was hosted in Puerto Rico, although it was virtual. Dr. Sharon Inouye suggested incorporating aging research into STEM outreach programs and offered to connect NIA leadership with the California State University system to engage its STEM feeder program.

   Dr. Frank Longo commended NIA for the wide range of approaches, ideas, and perspectives being utilized to address AD/ADRD.

2. NIA leadership introduced new NIA staff members from the Divisions of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR), Aging Biology (DAB), and Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG); the Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) Grants and Contracts Management Branch (GCMB), Office of Clinical Research (OCR), and Office of Strategic Extramural Programs (OSEP); the Office of Administrative Management (OAM) Financial Management Branch (FMB) and Workforce and Administrative Management Branch (WAMB); the Office of the Associate Director (OAD); Office of Legislation, Policy, and International Activities (OLPIA); Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL), and the Intramural Research Program (IRP) Office of the Scientific Director (OSD), Networks and Computing Technology Section (NCTS), Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, and CARD.

   Dr. Hodes also shared multiple ways that interested parties can stay informed and connected to the latest NIA news and resources.

3. May 21-22, 2024 (Tuesday and Wednesday), Building 45 - Natcher

   September 18-19, 2024 (Wednesday and Thursday), Building 31

   January 28-29, 2025 (Tuesday and Wednesday), Virtual

   May 13-14, 2025 (Tuesday and Wednesday), Building 45 - Natcher

   September 17-18, 2025 (Wednesday and Thursday), Building 45 - Natcher

4. The minutes of the September 2023 Council meeting were considered. A motion to approve the minutes was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.

III. REPORT: TASK FORCE ON MINORITY AGING RESEARCH

Dr. Yanira Cruz and her new Task Force co-chair, Dr. Julie Schneider, summarized presentations to the Task Force on Minority Aging Research by Dr. Michele Evans, Dr. Katherine Campbell, Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, and Dr. Dulcie Kermah, which were centered on workforce development.

During her presentation, Dr. Evans spoke about intramural research programs and NIA efforts to diversify the next generation of scientists. As of January 2024, there are 197 NIH intramural research trainees. Dr. Evans is using two strategies to meet the diversity goals for trainee cohorts: (1) promote participation in all NIH-sponsored training programs and (2) develop NIA-specific training programs. She highlighted the Summer Training in Aging Research (STAR) program, which is for high school students aged 17 and older, as well as an NIH program for community colleges and workforce recruitment, which connects federal and private-sector employees with highly motivated students and recent graduates with disabilities. Dr. Evans also spoke about the NIH post-baccalaureate program, the Diversity in Aging Research Pipeline Program (DARPP), and the Shock Academy for Introduction to Laboratory Skills (SAILS). The three-day SAILS program aims to inspire high school students under age 17 to pursue careers in biomedical and aging research. In discussion of these programs, Task Force members noted the importance of finding new ways to include American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in these programs as well as strategies for scaling these programs nationwide. Council participants expressed enthusiasm for the efforts at NIH and NIA to enhance the workforce pipeline.

Dr. Campbell is an Assistant Professor at St. Catherine University, which is a minority-serving institution and women’s college. She spoke about training minoritized women and gender-diverse undergraduates as future leaders in geroscience and gero-justice. Gero-justice is defined as the injustices and health disparities that accumulate over the lifespan of minoritized populations, as well as a way to describe social justice within aging populations. She highlighted the R25 Katies for Aging Research and Equity (KARE) Program, which aims to advance diversity in aging research. This multi-year research education program is focused on geroscience and gero-justice and is the only Advancing Diversity in Aging Research program in the upper Midwest. All students who have completed the KARE Program are planning a career in research. Training the next generation of diverse aging researchers is fundamental to addressing the nation’s health and health inequities.

Dr. Prothrow-Stith is the Dean and a Professor of Medicine at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), which is the fourth historically black college and university to grant medical degrees. CDU and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) developed the CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program, which enrolled medical student cohorts from 1981 to 2023. Future cohorts studying medicine at CDU will enroll in CDU’s new medical school program. Dr. Prothrow-Stith spoke about the history of medical education and the demographics of the inaugural CDU medical school class. The first cohort will graduate in 2027. In addition to training the next generation of doctors, CDU also prioritizes research on social justice and community education.

Dr. Kermah is the Director of an R25 program at CDU. She explained that many students at CDU began at community colleges, and therefore the R25 program prioritizes engaging these community colleges to encourage students to pursue careers in research. The R25 program is building a pipeline of aging researchers beginning at the community college level with the goal of creating a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse workforce in aging research. Task Force members discussed strategies to encourage institutions to apply for diversity supplements to further support training as well as the value of F99/K00 award mechanisms in maintaining the workforce pipeline.

IV. REPORT: WORKING GROUP ON PROGRAM

Dr. Greenspan, Chair of the Working Group on Program, led the updates on all 14 concept clearances. The Council members unanimously and enthusiastically concurred with approval of 13 of the 14 concepts, and recommended dividing one concept into two, as summarized below.

1. Dr. Greenspan invited primary reviewers to present their respective DAB concepts to the Council. Primary reviewers were Drs. Charlotte Peterson, Darren Baker, and Manly.

   This concept proposes the renewal of a contract to support the NIA Aging Cell Repository, a scientific resource that was established in 1974 and now maintains and distributes more than 3,000 unique cell lines to the aging research community. Notably, most of these cell lines are of human origin with about one-half from either healthy humans at various ages or humans with AD/ADRD. About 20 percent of the human cell lines were derived from non-White donors, and men and women are equally represented in the collection. Use of the repository over the years has been extensive within the United States and internationally. Although most requests are for human cell lines, DAB noted an increase in requests for non-human primate (NHP) cell lines. Use of repository cell lines resulted in 154 publications in 2020-2022, and in more than 100 additional publications in 2023. The Council expressed enthusiasm for continuing to support this valuable resource and voted strongly in favor of renewal.

   The goal of this contract renewal is to continue to provide independent monitoring of aged rodent colonies distributed across NIA and other academic institutions. Pathology monitoring is outsourced to a third-party contractor, which performs complete necropsies, histopathology of suspect tissues, bacterial cultures, and ectoparasite detection methods to ensure that rodents supplied to the research community are of sufficient quality for research needs. The Council expressed strong support for this concept.

   This concept provides a rationale for a set of applications through the R61/R33 funding mechanism. The goal is to study the impact of midlife stressors on the hallmarks of aging (e.g., telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, chronic inflammation) in vitro and in vivo within model systems and other wild or domesticated animal populations. Studies of combinations of stressors are necessary to understand real-world aging. The first phase of the project would focus on determining whether exposure to stressors during adulthood results in measurable changes in hallmarks of aging, and the second phase would expand on the first phase findings to determine stressor impacts on lifespan, health span, resilience, and other variables. The program agreed to require multidisciplinary teams. The Council recommended that the application materials discuss links between health disparities and external stressors to model the human world of disparities. The Council enthusiastically supported this concept.

2. Dr. Greenspan invited Dr. Weir, the primary reviewer, to present the DBSR concept to the Council.

   This concept proposes to use the R25 mechanism to advance research using the NIH Stage Model and to train researchers in secondary analysis of aging and cognitive data collected internationally. The NIH Stage Model serves as a blueprint for developing behavioral intervention trials. Data collected by the family of international Health and Retirement Studies and Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) contain wide and deep covariate measurements and offer unique opportunities for cross-national analyses. Although enthusiastic about these ideas, the Council noted that the training goals of NIH Stage Model trial design and secondary data analysis were quite disparate and should be considered as separate funding opportunities.

3. Dr. Greenspan invited fellow primary reviewers, Drs. Baker, Inouye, Peterson, and Sanjay Asthana, to present their respective DGCG concepts to the Council.

   This concept proposes use of a milestone-driven, phased innovation mechanism (UH2/UH3) to support two types of projects. The first type is a conventional pathway for new drug development. The second type features data-driven computational approaches with subsequent validation of predictions and generation of proof-of-concept data in relevant animal or human (in vivo or in vitro) model systems. Projects may include multidisciplinary investigative teams that include expertise pertinent to the translational research project and its progression through translational pipeline stages, and can include collaborations with academic, nonprofit, or commercial entities to achieve the requisite expertise, experience, and resources. The Council was supportive of this concept as an opportunity to move research toward T1 translational studies.

   The GEMSSTAR Program supports promising early career clinician investigators with the overall goal of long-term commitment to academic research in the aging field to generate pilot data and establish a record in aging and geriatrics research. The GEMSSTAR Program provides each participant with an R03 grant to support a small research project at the intersection of aging and the participant’s clinical specialty. Participants also develop professional development plans and attend an annual conference that provides support and mentorship. The program has helped accelerate the careers of more than 221 awardees, achieved success by publication and grant metrics, and launched participants into successful academic and leadership roles in their respective fields. Council members were very enthusiastic to support this concept to continue the GEMSSTAR Program and recommended broadening the team science mentoring and training provided, finding additional ways to assure adequate project support for participants, and increasing participant diversity. In addition, Council members indicated that the awards should not all be used for salary support, and that the program should continue its enhancement in response to participant feedback.

   This concept is aimed at attracting and developing early- and mid-career scientists to expand the number of investigators across basic science, veterinary science, and clinical science with expertise in comparative studies of factors that contribute to NHP species lifespan differences. Two career development awards were proposed—the Mentored Research and Clinical Research Scientists (K01/K08) and the Research Career Enhancement Award for Established Investigators (K18). Notably, while DGCG is the lead division for this concept, the three other NIA divisions also support this request. Because many factors may contribute to lifespan differences in NHPs, these studies require a broad range of expertise, including in comparative biology, evolutionary genetics, anthropology, primatology, and basic and clinical aging science. Therefore, these awards are critical to develop and address innovative longevity research questions. These career development awards complement two recent companion Requests for Applications (RFAs) on Comparative Research on Determinants of Differences Among Human and Nonhuman Primate Species in Life Spans, Life Histories, and Other Aging-Related Outcomes, and Prospects for Translation, inviting R01 research projects ( RFA-AG-24-019 ) and R61/R33 exploratory/developmental phased networking/infrastructure projects ( RFA-AG-24-020 ). The Council was generally supportive of this concept, although members noted that it may be premature for NIA to offer early career awards before establishing the necessary research infrastructure. Therefore, the Council recommended first releasing the K18 award announcement and then releasing the K01/K08 award announcement after the establishment of the necessary foundation and infrastructure for this interdisciplinary field.

   Mobility dysfunction impacts greater than 25 percent of the population over age 65 and is associated with changes in muscle strength, bioenergetics, balance, and joint mobility. A lack of understanding of how these changes interact with and affect the neuromuscular and skeletal muscle systems has limited the development of effective prevention and rehabilitation strategies. This concept proposes to support multidisciplinary teams to design new controlled studies that employ innovative approaches to better understand the mechanisms underlying compensatory gait posture strategies that contribute to walking speed, metabolic cost, and fatigue. Areas of interest include the mechanisms and effects of central nervous system changes, neuromuscular changes, skeletal muscle bioenergetics, computational modeling and simulation, and changes in tissue structure and function, such as the muscle-tendon complex. Interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged that explore interactions among multiple systems and innovative approaches such as computational modeling, imaging, and sensor technologies. The Council was enthusiastic about moving this concept forward.

   This concept proposes the continuation of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) Program, a P30 centers grant program that focuses on innovative research on maintaining or restoring independence in older adults. OAICs have produced breakthrough research on the physiology underlying the loss of physical function and mobility, enabling identification of early signs and prevention to avoid this loss of function. OAICs have conducted well-known multi-site clinical trials, funded numerous pilot projects that have been translated into larger research programs, and continue to attract and train the next generation of researchers. The Council discussed strategies for translating OAIC findings into improved care and encouraged collaboration with minority-serving institutions and increased emphasis on expansion of diversity at multiple levels across the program. The Council was supportive of renewing the OAICs Program within its current scientific scope but recommended increasing the OAICs annual budget and the number of sites.

4. Dr. Greenspan invited primary reviewers to present their respective DN concepts to the Council. Primary reviewers were Drs. Yadong Huang, Baker, Longo, and Asthana.

   This concept focuses on the mechanisms of communication between mitochondria and nuclei in the process of brain aging. Although mitochondria contain their own genomes, they still require nuclear DNA encoded proteins for normal function. During aging and AD/ADRD processes, mitochondria quality and activity decline, resulting in increases in reactive oxygen species and other metabolites. Prior research has indicated that mitochondrial metabolites can profoundly impact post-translational modifications of proteins and chromatin. Researchers are exploring connections between cellular metabolism, mitochondrial-nuclear communication, and aging and AD/ADRD. Current research challenges in the field stem from the dynamicity and evolution of aging and AD/ADRD processes. This concept will help to stimulate the emerging field of mitochondrial-nuclear communication and develop the tools to measure these communication processes. Because no existing study section contains all the areas of expertise required to adequately review applications in this area, the corresponding RFA will require a special review panel. The Council believed the concept proposal to be highly relevant to NIA’s goals and expressed strong support.

   The focus of this concept is to encourage utilization of new adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology to address the roles of specific brain cell subtypes already implicated in various aging and AD/ADRD processes. Several large-scale efforts already funded by NIA are identifying cell types altered in AD/ADRD brains by generating high-quality single-cell omics datasets from human tissues and model organisms. Analyses of these datasets have resulted in numerous high-impact publications that have discovered disease-associated gene signatures across all major brain cell types and have identified subtype-specific alterations in neurons, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, and vascular cells. However, how these changes contribute to AD/ADRD-associated deficits in cell, circuit, and brain function is unclear. Therefore, this concept aims to develop novel strategies to test mechanistic hypotheses with the potential to inform future preclinical studies by (1) optimizing access to brain cell subtypes implicated in aging and AD/ADRD by generating and validating AAV-enhancer vectors and (2) using optimized AAV-enhancer tools to manipulate or monitor brain cell subtypes to address mechanistic hypotheses in aging and AD/ADRD. Using new AAV technology will enable researchers to bypass some current limitations of genetic approaches used to model AD/ADRD. The Council was supportive of this concept.

   This concept proposes a renewal of the ADDP, which was established in 2006 to support the most challenging and costly steps of preclinical drug development. The program funds research across the research pipeline, including the creation of candidate therapeutics, pharmacokinetics and efficacy testing in animal models, investigational new drug-enabling studies, large-scale drug synthesis for clinical trials, and first-in-human trials. To date, ADDP has funded 45 U01 projects, of which 12 have resulted in candidate therapeutics reaching human clinical trials; 7 of these candidates reached Phase II clinical trials. The program is milestone-driven with annual reviews required to maintain funding. Renewal of ADDP will expand the research and development pipeline to include additional candidate therapeutics with more diverse mechanisms of action. The program will also support the development of novel positron emission tomography (PET) ligands to support new brain imaging capabilities that enable precision medicine approaches. The Council was supportive of this renewal.

   This concept seeks to establish clinical cohorts of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to better understand the pathophysiology and heterogeneity of ASD during the lifespan using deep phenotyping and prospective data collection through late life. Previous studies indicate that as they age, people with ASD have an increased risk of dementia compared to those without ASD, activated amyloidogenic pathways, and potential disease pathway and mechanism commonalities with AD/ADRD. Approval of this concept will enable NIA to launch systematic studies on the neurology of ASD and develop biomarkers of early diagnosis and potential therapeutics. The Council was highly supportive of this timely concept.

   Recent technological developments have enabled systematic detection and characterization of RNA chemical modifications. To date, 170 distinct modifications have been identified, and research implicates RNA modifications in the maintenance of homeostasis. In addition, RNA modifications and RNA modification machinery have direct functional effects on gene expression and regulation of physiological processes, including those implicated in the etiology of AD/ADRD. However, the diversity of these RNA modifications and the extent to which they impact AD/ADRD remain unexplored. This concept will support innovative research aimed at characterizing RNA modifications and machinery and modification impacts on cellular and pathophysiological processes to better understand AD/ADRD heterogeneity and to identify new strategies for therapeutic development. The program will operate under open science principles; all data and analytic outcomes will be shared directly and broadly via the AD Knowledge Portal. This concept proposes to support hypothesis driven R01 research grants with multidisciplinary teams using innovative approaches, and R21 grants funding exploratory, innovative research that involves considerable risk but offers the potential for high impact. The Council expressed support for this concept.

V. COUNCIL GUEST SPEAKER

VI. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (DN)

VII. INTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAM UPDATE

VIII. ADJOURNMENT

The open session of the 151st meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aging adjourned at 2:30 p.m. on January 24. The next meeting is scheduled for May 21-22, 2024.

IX. CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes and attachments are accurate and complete.³

Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Chairman, National Advisory Council on Aging
Director, National Institute on Aging

Prepared by Kenneth Santora, Ph.D.
With assistance by Rose Li & Associates, Inc.

Footnotes

1. For the record, it is noted that members absented themselves from the meeting when the Council discussed applications (a) from their respective institutions or (b) in which a conflict of interest may have occurred. This procedure only applied to applications that were discussed individually, not to “en bloc” actions. (Back to text)
2. For the record, it is noted that members absented themselves from the meeting when the Council discussed applications (a) from their respective institutions or (b) in which a conflict of interest may have occurred. This procedure applied only to applications that were discussed individually, not to “en bloc” actions. (Back to text)
3. These minutes will be approved formally by Council at the next meeting on May 21-22, 2024, and corrections or notations will be stated in the minutes of that meeting. (Back to text)

Attachment A: Roster of the National Advisory Council on Aging

EX OFFICIO

Becerra, Xavier, J.D.
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC

Bertagnolli, Monica, M.D.
Director
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

Holavanahalli, Radha, Ph.D.
Rehabilitation Program Specialist, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research
Administration for Community Living
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC

Ordway, Anne, Ph.D.
Program Specialist, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
Administration for Community Living
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC

AD-HOC MEMBERS

Epel, Elissa, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of California, San Francisco
Weill Institute for Neurosciences
Vice Chair of Psychology, Director, Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center
San Francisco, CA

Hummer, Robert, Ph.D.
Professor, Sociology, Carolina Population Center
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Santora, Kenneth, Ph.D.
Director, Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute on Aging
Bethesda, MD