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The Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (GCG) supports clinical and translational research on health and disease in the aged, and research on aging over the human life span, including its relationships to health outcomes. GCG foci include translational research for the development of new interventions for age-related conditions, prevention and treatment of multiple chronic conditions in the elderly, and studies that help to promote evidenced based geriatric care and inform policies affecting older adults.
Over the past years, GCG-supported research has made advances regarding health issues facing the older adults, and aging changes over the life span that affect prospects for healthy aging. New lines of research on these issues have been initiated.
Goals Framework
DGCG's research goals may be summarized in the following framework:
Goal 1. Identify risk factors, and develop and test prevention or treatment methods for disabilities, symptoms, causes of activity limitation, and high vulnerability to adverse outcomes from illness, injury, or other stressors in older persons.
Goal 2. Determine the relationship of age-related factors to accuracy or predictive value of diagnostic measures, and efficacy or adverse effects of interventions in older persons. Based on this knowledge, develop approaches to improve diagnoses or outcomes in older persons and determine their effects.
Goal 3. Determine clinical and functional effects of interactions of comorbid conditions, of interactions of therapies for these conditions, and the efficacy of interventions to optimize the balance of benefits and risks for the older patient with multiple conditions.
Goal 4. Determine sequences of age-related changes over the life span and how such sequences can contribute to incidence of age-related conditions, and influence their progression.
Goal 5. Elucidate relationships of aging processes and age-related changes to development or progression of morbidities, and develop and test diagnostic and treatment approaches based on this information.
Goal 6. Identify protective factors contributing to exceptionally healthy human aging as expressed by exceptional longevity, exceptional "health span" or exceptionally slow rates of physiologic decline, and test human interventions with potential to contribute to exceptionally healthy aging.
Selected major issues in clinical trials, translational research, career development and the work of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) as well cross cutting issues involving populations diversity and health disparities addressed by DGCG overlap with some of the goals above.
AgingResearchBiobank
The AgingResearchBiobank is a controlled-access web-based platform for sharing primarily human specimens, images, and data with investigators in the national and international community.
The AgingResearchBiobank utilizes best practices to receive, maintain and distribute materials (biospecimens, images, data) from clinical and cohort studies on aging and aging-related conditions/diseases supported by NIA. Similarly, data and images associated with any study collection are subjected to best practices including those related to the protection of human subject’s information. All materials distributed by the AgingResearchBiobank for further research are de-identified.
NIA supported research ranging from the study of basic cellular changes that accompany the aging process to the examination of the biomedical, social, and behavioral aspects of growing older. Our main goal is to understand the nature of aging and the aging process, and diseases and conditions associated with growing older, in order to extend the healthy, active years of life. The utilization of our materials for secondary research analyses opens a wide array of opportunities to expand science including potential new therapeutic or interventional developments.