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September 2022 Director’s Status Report

Click on the links below to view sections of the September 2022 Director’s Status Report:

Budget and Appropriations

Status of FY 2022 Budget

House Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Appropriations

  • On June 30, 2022, the House Labor-HHS spending bill advanced out of committee. The bill must still be passed by the House. If enacted, the bill would provide $47.5 billion for NIH, an increase of $2.5 billion over the FY 2022 level. The bill also includes:
    • $4.443 billion for NIA, including an increase of $200 million over the FY 2022 enacted level for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) research.
    • $2.75 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA–H), an increase of $1.75 billion over the FY 2022 enacted level. Report language notes that the Committee believes establishing ARPA-H as a standalone entity within HHS “will maximize the likelihood of the agency’s success.”
    • $620 million for the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative.
    • $541 million for the All of Us Research Program.

Senate FY 2023 Appropriations

  • On July 28, 2022, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its FY 2023 spending bills. The Labor-HHS appropriations bill would provide nearly $48 billion for NIH. The bill must still be passed by the Senate. The proposed legislation also includes:
    • $4.34 billion for NIA.
    • $1 billion for ARPA-H. Report language indicates that while ARPA-H would be placed within NIH, the Committee “expects ARPA–H to be physically located away from the main NIH campus.”
    • $700 million for the BRAIN Initiative.

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Legislative Update

Legislation of Interest

  • On July 14, 2022, the House passed H.R. 7900, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill contains a provision that, if enacted, would extend the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Programs, including those at NIH, through September 2024.
    • The Senate version of this bill, introduced on July 18, 2022, does not contain a provision to extend SBIR/STTR programs.
  • On June 22, 2022, the House passed — by a vote of 336-85 — H.R. 5585, the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Health Act. This bill, if enacted, would establish ARPA-H as a separate entity within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and not as part of NIH. The bill would authorize $500 million for the agency each year from FY 2023 to FY 2027. The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate, which has a separate bill awaiting floor consideration that places ARPA-H within NIH.
  • On May 12, 2022, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced S. 4203, a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) through 2035. The bill would also make updates to the NAPA language to include risk reduction, expand the NAPA advisory council, and address health disparities. A House companion bill, H.R. 7775, was introduced by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-VT) on May 13, 2022. Both bills have been referred to the appropriate committees of jurisdiction.
  • On May 12, 2022, Sen. Collins also introduced S. 4202, a bipartisan bill that incorporates into NAPA the requirement for NIH to submit a professional judgment budget for Alzheimer’s and related dementias research to Congress. A companion bill, H.R. 7773, was introduced in the House by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) on May 13, 2022. Both bills have been referred to the appropriate committees of jurisdiction.

Hearings, Visits, and Other Topics of Interest

Briefing on home and community-based services and caregiving for the staff of Rep. Barragán (D-CA) — July 27, 2022

On July 27, 2022, Dr. Elena Fazio, a health scientist administrator in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research, briefed the staff of Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) on emerging issues in home- and community-based services and caregiving.

Briefing on Eureka Prize competitions for the staff of Sen. Wicker (R-MS) — July 6, 2022

On July 6, 2022, leadership from NIA’s Office of Legislation, Policy, and International Activities briefed the staff of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Eureka Prize competitions.

Briefing on artificial intelligence and machine learning for the staff of Sen. Cassidy (R-LA) — June 29, 2022

On June 29, 2022, NIA subject matter experts joined staff from the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy and several other ICs in a briefing for the staff of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on artificial intelligence and machine learning in biomedical research.

House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Staff Briefing — June 21, 2022

On June 21, 2022, NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes and NIA subject matter experts briefed the health subcommittee majority and minority staff of the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittees on AD/ADRD research and clinical trials.

Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on the NIH Budget — May 17, 2022

On May 17, 2022, NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes joined Dr. Lawrence Tabak, performing the duties of the NIH director, and several IC directors in testifying before the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee on the FY 2023 NIH Budget.

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General Information

Staff Changes

Nandini Arunkumar, Ph.D. , joined the Office of Strategic Development and Partnerships in the Division of Neuroscience (DN) as a program officer. Prior to joining NIA, she worked on strategic initiatives at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS), including the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® (AMP) programs in rheumatoid arthritis/lupus and autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases. Arunkumar also brings experience with drug development at successful venture-funded startups. She has been an integral part of teams developing first-in-class biological therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune indications. Arunkumar has worked with clients in the biotech industry and philanthropic organizations, including the Gates Foundation on strategic planning, research enterprise development, and competitive landscape assessments. Arunkumar holds a Ph.D. in cell biology and immunology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master’s degree in biological sciences from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India.

Renee Botchway joined the Division of Aging Biology (DAB) on Aug. 15, 2022, as a deputy office manager. She began her NIH career at the Office of AIDS Research (OAR), where she served as a program specialist for the former OAR director. She has extensive knowledge on a variety of NIH administrative functions in support of scientific research. Botchway has over 15 years of experience in providing administrative support and management with the federal government, including travel-related logistics and bookings, processing of reimbursements, and management of timekeeping systems. She also has expertise in coordinating key webinars and onsite meetings and assisting with a variety of other administrative activities.

Christy Carter, Ph.D., joined DAB as a program officer for training and workforce development. She previously served in leadership roles in both the Wake Forest Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAIC) and the University of Florida OAIC as pilot Core director and research education component investigator. More recently, Carter served as research development core leader of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Nathan Shock Center (NSC). Nationally, she served as the NSC representative on the Research Centers Collaborative Network steering committee and on the NSC communications committee. Carter has also led the development of online certificate and master’s programs focused on gerontology that are offered nationally. As an academic, her research interests focus on preserving healthspan during aging. Carter has demonstrated that the application of standardized physical performance measures to a variety of animal models of aging may help to define similarities between species in the underlying mechanisms of loss of mobility; the age-related decline in performance, cognition, and longevity; and an increase in disability. She has extended this area of research to other special aging populations, such as the frail and obese, and has developed combinatorial therapies. These interventions include diet and exercise, and nutritional and pharmaceutical approaches. Carter has also conducted work investigating the gut microbiome in the development of age-related pathologies, with particular interest in the contributions of the gut microbiome to age-related increases in systemic inflammation and declining cognition.

Shreaya Chakroborty, Ph.D., joined DN’s Translational Research Branch as a program director. She manages a portfolio of drug discovery and drug development for biologics and the Alzheimer’s Disease Preclinical Efficacy Database (AlzPED), a publicly available data resource that aims to increase the transparency, reproducibility, and translatability of preclinical efficacy studies of candidate therapeutics for AD. Chakroborty earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Chicago Medical School-Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science where she conducted research on the impact of altered calcium signaling on hippocampal synaptic transmission and plasticity in AD. After earning her Ph.D., Chakroborty completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, examining the molecular and cellular processes underlying neuronal and network function and dysfunction associated with neurological and movement disorders.

Mark Cookson, Ph.D., was named the chief of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics (LNG) in the Intramural Research Program (IRP). Cookson received his Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of Salford, United Kingdom, in 1995. His career with NIH began in 2002 as a senior research fellow in the LNG. From 2004 to 2009, Cookson served as a tenure-track investigator until he received tenure in 2009 and became a senior investigator and chief of the Cell Biology and Gene Expression Section in the LNG. Since 2020, Cookson has served as the acting chief of the LNG.

Erin Gray, Ph.D., joined DN’s Neurobiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration Branch as a program director. Gray is managing a portfolio focused on the genetic, molecular, cellular, and circuit-level changes that occur in aging and neurodegeneration, with a particular emphasis on neural and network vulnerability, multi-omics, and connectivity mapping. Prior to joining NIA, Gray was a scientific review officer at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where she managed the peer review of grant applications in scientific areas spanning the breadth of mental health research. While at NIMH, Gray also supported the efforts of the BRAIN Initiative with contributions to both grant review and program development. Gray initially came to NIH in 2012 as an intramural postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), where her research focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction underlying Fragile X Syndrome. Gray earned her B.A. in biology from the University of Montana and her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joshua Hooks, Ph.D., joined the Office of Strategic Extramural Programs as an Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) science and technology policy fellow and will be working with the Small Business and Training teams. Hooks received his Ph.D. in bioengineering and biomedical engineering in 2019 from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He continued as a Burrough’s Wellcome Fund postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he focused on studying the immune response following injury and biomaterial implantation in order to reduce fibrosis and improve tissue regeneration. His interests include emerging health technologies, entrepreneurship, diversity-focused initiatives, and STEM education programs.

Chandra Keller, Ed.D., has been promoted to lead social science analyst and team lead for portfolio analysis in the office of the Director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR). In this capacity, she will conduct, support, and mentor BSR colleagues in analyses of scientific investments, accomplishments, and gaps in behavioral and social research on aging and AD/ADRD. These analyses will support the evaluation of BSR programs, and the development of new initiatives aligned with the BSR and NIA mission. Keller will lead portfolio analyses designed to assess BSR’s progress in addressing research priorities articulated in the 2019 National Advisory Council on Aging review of BSR as well as those associated with BSR-relevant AD/ADRD research milestones.

Nicole Kidwiler was promoted in June 2022 to a full-time program analyst position in BSR. She will work alongside other program staff in supporting BSR’s research portfolio in AD/ADRD while also continuing to assist with BSR administrative tasks. Kidwiler originally joined BSR as an NIH Pathways intern in part to fulfill the requirements of Towson University’s Health Sciences Internship Program and to learn more about the work supported in BSR. She completed her internship requirements and graduated as a student-athlete (NCAA Division I Women’s Softball) from Towson with a major in health care management and a minor in business administration.

Rebecca Krupenevich, Ph.D., joined BSR’s Office of Data Resources and Analytics as an AAAS science and technology fellow. Prior to joining BSR, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She earned a Ph.D. in kinesiology at the University of Maryland. Krupenevich received an M.S. in exercise and sports medicine at East Carolina University and a B.S. in exercise science at Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition to holding various assistantships at these academic institutions, she worked for four years as a graduate research assistant at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where she developed a keen interest in aging and aging-related health disparities. Her personal and professional experiences working with older adults opened her eyes to the challenges that the aging population face in accessing equitable health care, and her long-term goal is to promote healthy aging through policies that support health literacy and accessible health care, particularly in disadvantaged populations.

Sandhya Sanghi, Ph.D., joined the Scientific Review Branch, bringing with her multifaceted scientific and managerial experience. After completing her doctoral degree in biochemistry, she joined the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, as a research associate in cell and molecular biology, where she discovered a novel gene whose protein product has an important role in tear production. She then moved to Texas A&M University, where she held positions of postdoctoral research associate and instructor in molecular cardiology. During this time, she worked on deciphering cell signaling mechanisms that lead to heart disease. After working full-time as a basic biomedical researcher for over 10 years, Sanghi obtained an MPH in health policy and management from the School of Public Health, Texas A&M University. Sanghi joined Scott & White Healthcare (now Baylor Scott & White Health) (BSWH) in 2009 to manage an intramural research grant program designed to support basic science investigators and the development of physician-scientists. She subsequently moved to a research scientist/assistant investigator position at the Center for Applied Health Research (CAHR) of BSWH that focuses on research in aging, dementia, and family caregiving. Before joining NIA, Sanghi was a manager for research shared services at the CAHR.

Eleanor Simonsick, Ph.D., was appointed co-director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Simonsick received her Ph.D. in behavioral science and health education from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1988. Her long-standing career with NIH began in 1990 in the Epidemiology and Demography Office within the Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry Program at NIA, first as an epidemiologist and then as a staff scientist. Since 2012, Simonsick has been a staff scientist within the Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch (TGB). She was named deputy director of the BLSA in 2019 and has served as acting co-director of the BLSA since 2020.

Benfeard Williams, Ph.D., joined DN as a health specialist in the Clinical Interventions and Diagnostics Branch. He supports the AD/ADRD clinical trials portfolio and implementation of the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. Williams has a B.A. in biophysics from Duke University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His research focused on understanding the structural and functional differences between ApoE isoforms. Prior to joining NIA, Williams served as a technology transfer manager at the National Cancer Institute’s Technology Transfer Center and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Office of Technology Transfer and Development. He has experience with technology transfer agreements, such as confidentiality agreements, and cooperative research and development agreements, patenting and licensing of federal inventions, and marketing federal technologies. Williams is also a registered patent agent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and he has worked at the law firm Wilson Sonsini, where he managed a portfolio of medical devices.

Staff Honors

Dr. Nathan Basisty, tenure track investigator and chief of the translational geroproteomics Unit in the TGB, was accepted into the NIH Distinguished Scholar Program in recognition of his commitment — past, present, and future — to promoting diversity and inclusion through his mentorship, outreach activities, and dedication to recruiting and retaining researchers from underrepresented groups.

Dr. Hongwei Gao received a Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for efforts undertaken for the RADx Initiative.

The 2022 Women’s Scientific Advisors Research Awards Ceremony was held virtually on April 26, 2022. The following five NIA IRP researchers were honored for their outstanding scientific achievements.

Recognized women scientists are as follows:

Excellence in Research Awards

  • Jennifer Martindale, M.S., biologist, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics (LGG)
  • Natalie Landeck, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, LNG

Research Recognition Awards

  • Sara Saez-Atienzar, Ph.D., research fellow, LNG
  • Ruth Chia, Ph.D., staff scientist, LNG

Promising Postdoctoral Fellow Award

  • Eleonora Duregon, M.D., Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, TGB

The NIH Virtual Post-Baccalaureate Poster Days were held April 26-28, 2022. The NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education recognized nine NIA post-baccalaureates who were ranked in the top 20% of all presenters by the judges.

Recognized post-baccalaureates are as follows:

  1. Liam Cheng — Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience
  2. Shanaya Fox — Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science (LCS)
  3. Mahdi Haghkar — LCS
  4. De’Larrian Knight — Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI)
  5. Kevin Liu — Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology (LMBI)
  6. James Occean — LGG
  7. Aaron Park — LGG
  8. Anjana Ram — TGB
  9. Carlos Ticas Rodas — LMBI

The 27th Annual Scientific Retreat was held April 4-5, 2022. Ten trainees were recognized for the outstanding research showcased via poster presentations.

Recognized trainees are as follows:

Nathan W. Shock Award

  • Jorge Martinez Romero, Ph.D., Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences
  • Shah Md Toufiqur Rahman, Ph.D., LMBI
  • Dimitrios Tsitsipatis, Ph.D., LGG

Scientific Director Award

  • Megan Duffy, Ph.D., LNG
  • Caio Mazucanti, Ph.D., LCI
  • Jiangyuan Li, Ph.D., LMBI
  • Hasitha Premathilake, Ph.D., LCI
  • Cecily Choy, LMBI
  • Caroline Ward, Comparative Medicine Section (CMS)
  • Angelica Carr, LGG

The 2023 NIH Fellows’ Award for Research Excellence (FARE) winners were announced and include nine NIA winners. The FARE awards provide recognition for the outstanding scientific research performed by intramural postdoctoral fellows.

2023 FARE Winners are as follows:

  1. Maryam Alsameen, LCI
  2. Showkat Dar, LGG
  3. Na Yang, LGG
  4. Shah Md Toufiqur Rahman, LMBI
  5. Burcin Duan Sahbaz, DNA Repair Section
  6. Caio Mazucanti, LCI
  7. Carlos Anerillas Aljama, LGG
  8. Qiong Meng, LGG
  9. Matthew Payea, LGG

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Institute-Sponsored Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences

Past Meetings

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Population Workshop on Structural Racism and Rigorous Models of Social Inequity — Washington, D.C. — May 16-17, 2022

Structural racism refers to the public and private policies, institutional practices, norms, and cultural representations that inherently procure unequal freedom, opportunity, value, resources, advantage, restrictions, constraints, or disadvantage to individuals and populations according to their race/ethnicity, both across the life course and between generations. The purpose of this workshop was to identify and discuss the sources and mechanisms through which structural racism operates. Invited experts provided insights into known sources of structural racism and models of health equity, but also went beyond these to discuss novel sources and approaches. The workshop identified key research and data needs and priorities for future work on structural racism and health inequity. Sessions included the conceptualization of race, measurement and modeling of structural racism, and data infrastructure needs in harnessing data for research in structural racism. Workshop participants included experts from a variety of fields, such as the humanities, demography, sociology, and epidemiology. For more information, please contact Frank Bandiera (Frank.Bandiera@nih.gov) or Charlie Le (Charlie.Le@nih.gov).

Perspectives on Death and Dying: Implications for Health, Well-being, and Clinical Care Across the Lifespan — Virtual — May 18-19, 2022
This workshop, jointly sponsored by BSR and the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, brought together clinicians and researchers from a variety of disciplines to examine how perspectives on death and dying influence health-related decision-making across the life course. The two-day workshop featured five sessions: (1) Theoretical Perspectives and Applications to Death and Dying, (2) Population Differences, (3) Clinical Settings, (4) Measurement and Experimental Design Panel, and (5) Gaps and Opportunities. The workshop included research on the perspectives of individuals, families, clinicians, and communities. Participants discussed relevant theories, the existing knowledge base, methodological challenges, and gaps and opportunities for further research. For more information, please contact Janine Simmons (Janine.Simmons@nih.gov), Basil Eldadah (Basil.Eldadah@nih.gov), Melissa Gerald (Melissa.Gerald@nih.gov), or Allie Walker (Allie.Walker@nih.gov).

NASEM Board on Health Care Services (BHCS) Workshop on Accelerating Organizational Behavior Change to Address the Needs of People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias — Washington, D.C. — May 23-24, 2022

This NIA-supported NASEM BHCS Workshop explored the practice and payment advances that lead to organizational change to meet the needs of people living with AD/ADRD. Discussions focused on identifying sustainable payment models that can be adopted by organizations that can improve care to meet the needs of people living with AD/ADRD. While many health systems, public health, and social service systems are redesigning their programs and processes to address the current siloed nature of care and service delivery, there remains a gap in understanding how to reliably implement organizational behavior change initiatives to better serve people living with AD/ADRD and their care partners. Possible health outcomes and care processes that may be highly responsive to hospital organizational behavioral changes include health care-associated infections, in-facility safety (mobility promotion, fall prevention, physical restraints), management of psychological and psychiatric symptoms, care transitions (including medication reconciliation), and person-centered care (assessments of what matters to people living with AD/ADRD and their care partners, including person-centered care goals and advance care planning). For more information, please contact Priscilla Novak (Priscilla.novak@nih.gov), Theresa Kim (Theresa.Kim@nih.gov), or Charlie Le (Charlie.Le@nih.gov).

2022 Trans-NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Working group Meeting — Virtual — June 10, 2022

The NIA Office of the Director and DN hosted the 2022 Trans-NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Working Group meeting on June 10, 2022. Representatives from more than 10 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices participated in the meeting. Dr. Richard Hodes presented on AD research funding and collaborations, and Drs. Walter Koroshetz and Rod Corriveau (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) presented on the ADRD program and the outcomes and recommendations of the recent NIH ADRD Summit, which was held on March 22-23, 2022. For more information, please contact Dr. Jean Tiong-Koehler (tiongj@nih.gov).

The 16th Annual Division of Aging Biology New Investigators Forum (DABNIF) — Bethesda, MD — June 28-29, 2022

The DAB New Investigators Forum (DABNIF) is a long-standing yearly event. It brings together new DAB awardees in the spring of the year following their award to meet and interact with NIA program and review staff as well as to network with each other. These are investigators at an early stage of their research careers who are new to funding by DAB. The overarching goal of the meeting is to encourage continued success for the new investigators in the field of aging and encourage interactions and collaborations. Specifically, DABNIF provides the participating principal investigators (PI) an opportunity to get to know, in-person, DAB and Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) staff; learn about the review, grant administration, and NIA-specific grant mechanisms; and network with colleagues at a similar stage of their career. To this end, each PI presents a poster describing their planned research (or results to date) and gives an “elevator speech,” a short talk where they introduce themselves and briefly talk about their research interests and career goals. In addition to these activities, the forum’s agenda includes a keynote presentation by an expert in the area of aging and talks by DAB staff and NIA leadership on issues such as scope of the science supported by DAB, funding mechanisms, use of the Guide, navigating the NIA website, grant review issues, and in-depth discussions on writing successful grant applications. Ample question-and-answer opportunities are provided throughout the program. This forum directly supports the NIA mission related to fostering new areas of research in aging as well as to disseminate information about aging-related grant opportunities to the scientific community. As a result of past meetings, we have found that the PIs have set up new collaborations and increased their interactions with DAB staff. They are also much more likely to keep DAB staff informed on their new publications and progress. In addition, the format of the forum reflects past years’ anonymous participant evaluation and feedback. For more information, please contact Dr. Manuel Moro (morom@mail.nih.gov, 401-496-6402).

Effects of Genetic Variations on Anti-Aging Interventions — Seattle — July 11, 2022

Individuals vary in their genotypes and expression of their complex traits. These genetic variations can have lasting effects on their aging and how they respond to anti-aging interventions. It is often assumed that anti-aging or lifespan interventions would have similar effects across different individuals. It is also often assumed that lifespan interventions extend healthspan, which is thus often ignored in aging studies. However, some studies have shown that certain lifespan interventions, such as calorie restriction, can have quite different or even opposite effects on animals with different genetic backgrounds. A better understanding of the effects of genetic variations on anti-aging interventions will not only uncover novel pathways but lead to a better understanding of how natural evolution has shaped lifespan and aging. This workshop evaluated the current status of the studies in this field and discussed the following questions: (1) What evidence do we have for genetic variation for response to interventions? (2) What evidence do we lack but should prioritize? (3) What evidence do we have for mechanisms that underlie the genotype to phenotype map? (4) What should be prioritized in this realm? Understanding natural genetic variation will be critical to the application of personalized geroscience approaches in the future. This workshop was co-organized by DAB’s Max Guo, Daniel Promislow (University of Washington), and Pankaj Kapahi (Buck Institute). This meeting was convened on the campus of University of Washington on July 11, 2022. It was a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual video conference) to increase participation. For more information, please contact Dr. Max Guo (qmguo@mail.nih.gov, 301-402-7747).

Microphysiological Systems to Advance Precision Medicine for AD/ADRD Treatment and Prevention — Virtual — July 19-20, 2022

This NIA-sponsored workshop brought together representatives from academia, biopharma, NIH, and the Food and Drug Administration to discuss advances and challenges in the development and use of microphysiological systems (MPS), including organoids, organ-on-chips, and iPSC platforms, as translational tools for precision medicine research and drug development for AD/ADRD. The overarching goals of this workshop were: 1) to review current MPS platforms used for modeling the complex biology of AD/ADRD and as translational tools for various aspects of drug development and 2) to discuss challenges to the development of MPS as innovative drug development tools, including technical and scientific, rigor and reproducibility, and regulatory issues. This workshop was in preparation for a concept that is going to the September Council. For more information, please contact Zane Martin (zane.martin@nih.gov).

Fifth Annual NIA-AA Symposium: Enabling Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease Through Open Science — San Diego — July 28-29, 2022

The Fifth Annual NIA-AA Symposium, Enabling Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease Through Open Science, was held July 28-29, 2022, as an Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) preconference in San Diego. The Symposium featured an array of NIA-supported translational research programs that employ precision medicine principles and open-science practices to 1) understand the complex and heterogeneous etiology of Alzheimer’s, including mechanisms of neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD/ADRD; 2) identify and validate new disease-relevant targets and biomarkers; 3) develop the next generation animal models for late onset AD; and 4) advance novel targets into drug discovery. The in-person preconference included, but was not limited to, speakers from the AMP® AD and its affiliated systems biology consortia, and the MODEL-AD and TREAT-AD Translational Centers and other precision medicine research programs. For more information about the annual NIA-AA Symposium, please contact Suzana Petanceska (petanceskas@nia.nih.gov), Laurie Ryan (ryanl@mail.nih.gov), or Lorenzo Refolo (larry.refolo@nih.gov).

Dietary Composition, Time-Restricted Feeding and Associated Metabolic Reprogramming in Healthspan and Longevity Regulation — Virtual — Aug. 22-23, 2022

To date, calorie restriction (CR) remains the most robust and consistent experimental paradigm to increase longevity in model organisms, discrepant results in nonhuman primates notwithstanding. However, recent studies have shown that in rodents, prolonged fasting accompanying the CR regimen may in fact contribute to the health and longevity benefits of CR. In this regard, intermittent fasting, prolonged fasting, or time-restricted feeding have all been shown to exert various levels of health benefits in several animal and human studies, albeit with certain side effects. Furthermore, selective macronutrient restriction, including amino acids and sugars, can influence nutrient-sensing pathways and achieve healthspan and longevity benefits. Thus, alternative to sustained CR, manipulation of nutrient composition, and the timings of fasting and refeeding hold a great potential to evoke innovative dietary interventions to promote human health. The purpose of this workshop was to gather leading researchers in the field to expand our understanding of innovative dietary regimens involving restriction or manipulation of composition of macromolecules while considering the timing of nutrient intake in promoting healthspan and longevity, with an overarching focus on the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms. Through state-of-science presentations and panel discussions, we worked to identify knowledge gaps and chart future research directions that could be critical to translating preclinical discoveries to human interventions. For more information, please contact Dr. Yih-Woei Fridell (yih-woei.fridell@nih.gov, 301-496-7847).

NIA/National Institute on  Drug Abuse (NIDA) Special Lecture Series — Virtual — Aug. 24, 2022
This event featured a keynote address from Dr. Gary W. Miller, vice dean for research strategy and innovation and professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. For more information, please contact Sarah Lewis (sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

Symposium on “Aging, Lifespan and Healthspan in Non-Human Primates” at the 44th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists — Denver — Aug. 26, 2022

The purpose of the symposium at the American Society of Primatology annual meeting was to highlight recent advances in the use of certain nonhuman primates in aging research at a national meeting. The speakers were asked to give 30-minute presentations on their recent research findings with an emphasis on how they relate to the area of human aging. The symposium was chaired by DAB program staff. For more information, please contact Dr. Manuel Moro (morom@mail.nih.gov, 301-480-1796).

Future Meetings

American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Working Group on Aging Symposia — Austin, TX — Sept. 11, 2022

Annually, there are 12 to 20 Working Groups that meet on the same night of the ASBMR meeting after the regular scientific sessions. These Working Groups are not funded or sponsored by the ASBMR but are organized by people with similar interests. The level of attendance and the quality of these Working Group programs vary widely. There is only one Working Group devoted to the science of aging, while there are a wide range of other topics like rare diseases and certain clinical problems. We anticipate that this Working Group will improve and sustain the quality of the program. For more information, please contact Dr. John Williams (williamsj6@mail.nih.gov, 301-496-6403) or Dr. Lyndon Joseph (Lyndon.joseph@nih.gov, 301-496-6761).

Economic Vulnerability and Work Across the Lifecourse — Virtual — Sept. 28-29, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the multidimensional nature of economic vulnerability. Measures of poverty and inequality alone are not sufficient tools for understanding the impact of the risks and uncertainty faced by individuals and households and their consequences for health and well-being. While individuals in poverty are generally considered highly vulnerable, economic vulnerability has multiple dimensions. Individuals are often navigating risk and uncertainty associated with the three-legged stool of economic security: work, health care, and housing. Increased risk exposure in any one these areas may exacerbate vulnerability and compound disadvantage in ways that impact health and well-being disparities. The purpose of this NIA-sponsored workshop is to identify research gaps, data needs, and opportunities to expand the research on economic vulnerability, work, and health. This workshop will potentially lead to a joint NICHD/NIA research initiative. For more information, please contact John Phillips (John.Phillips@nih.gov), Regina Bures (Regina.Bures@nih.gov), or Charlie Le (Charlie.Le@nih.gov).

Animal Models for Geroscience: Needs for Translational and Preclinical Research — Virtual — Oct. 6-7, 2022

The geroscience hypothesis states that slowing the rate of aging will delay the appearance and decrease the severity of adult-onset diseases and ameliorate age-related decline in function observed in human populations. Recently there has been a great deal of attention on leveraging geroscience insights from the laboratory to develop anti-aging or “geroprotective” therapies. In order to move potentially effective therapies toward the clinic, we must understand if we currently have the appropriate animal models to effectively translate geroscience findings into effective and safe therapies for humans. To begin to address that question, the Trans-NIH Geroscience Interest Group (GSIG) will host a virtual public workshop on the topic of Animal Models for Translational and Preclinical Geroscience Research. This workshop will aim to gather background information on the use of animals in basic geroscience-focused research studies across academia, government, and industry settings. Speakers at the workshop will examine the challenges and opportunities with studying a variety of animal models for translational geroscience research and the development of interventions that target fundamental aging processes. Workshop themes will include: current efforts in translational geroscience using laboratory mice, rats, domesticated animals, and nonhuman primates; applying comparative biology to gain new insights in geroscience; understanding the impact of nutrition and the microbiome in animal research; finding new ways to utilize data from animals that are retired from research; and exploring new and alternative models for translational geroscience. This virtual workshop is open to the public, and the target audience will include basic and clinical researchers with an interest in the biology of aging from academia, government, and industry. Additional audience members may include drug development experts, regulators, patient advocates, and trainees at a variety of career stages. For more information, please contact Dr. Siobhan Addie (Siobhan.addie@nih.gov, 301-827-6099).

14th Annual Baltimore Fellows Symposium (BFS) — Virtual — Oct. 18, 2022

Dr. Michael Rosbash, 2017 Nobel laureate in Physiology and Medicine, will be the keynote speaker for the event. For more information, please contact Ms. Taya Dunn Johnson (dunnt@grc.nia.nih.gov).

Alzheimer’s Disease and Cancer — Virtual — Oct. 18-19, 2022
DN will be sponsoring a two-day workshop on Alzheimer’s and cancer to be held virtually Oct. 18-19, 2022. Recent research has suggested a complex relationship between age-related dementia, including Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed and warrant further investigation. Understanding the intersection of the underlying causes and biology for these distinct families of diseases may offer novel approaches to identify new therapeutic approaches and possible opportunities to repurpose existing drug candidates. The goal of this workshop is to set scientific priorities and determine future directions for research in this area. For more information, please contact Damali Martin (martinda@mail.nih.gov).

32nd Annual Nathan W. Shock Award Lecture — Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore — Nov. 10, 2022

Honoree Dr. Jamie Justice, assistant professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University, will receive the Nathan W. Shock Award and present her research. Dr. Nir Barzilai, professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, will also present as a guest lecturer. For more information, please contact Sarah Lewis (sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

Biology of Health Disparities in Aging — Virtua — November/December 2022

Much of the health disparities research currently supported at NIH is heavily focused on social determinants, structural factors, and clinical outcomes. However, health disparities research addressing the biological perspective as outlined in the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework is limited and is usually examined in the context of known impacts/stressors or identified clinical disparities. The goals of the workshop will be to bring together researchers in the biology of aging with experts in basic research on health disparities to discuss the state of science related to understanding heterogeneity and rates of aging in and across diverse communities. In addition, participants will provide input on defining the mechanisms leading to disparities in conditions of aging. Feedback from this workshop will inform future research opportunities supported by DAB. This will be a small, one-day virtual workshop with 15-20 participants. For more information, please contact Dr. Stacy Carrington-Lawrence (stacy.carrington-lawrence@nih.gov, 301-402-0836).

Joint AMP® AD, MODEL-AD, and TREAT-AD Investigators’ Meeting — Virtual — December 2022

DN will host the annual investigators’ meeting for the NIA-funded Target Enablement to Accelerate Therapy Development for Alzheimer’s Disease (TREAT-AD) Centers, the Model Organism Development & Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (MODEL-AD) Consortia, and the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® — Alzheimer’s Disease program in December 2022. During this two-day, NIA-sponsored virtual meeting, principal investigators from the research teams will review research progress over the last year, discuss recent data findings, and highlight opportunities for continued collaboration. For more information about the meeting, please contact Suzana Petanceska (petanceskas@nia.nih.gov), Lorenzo Refolo (larry.refolo@nih.gov), or Nandini Arunkumar (nandini.arunkumar@nih.gov).

Photobiomodulation and Chronic Disease Workshop — Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore — January 2023

The NIA IRP will host this workshop, which will feature speakers with expertise in red light therapy for chronic disease. For more information, please contact Matt Hasek (matthew.hasek@nih.gov) or Sarah Lewis (sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

NIA/NIDA Tenure-Track Symposium — Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore — February 2023

This event will showcase presentations by tenure track investigators from both Institutes. Investigators in their second year will be reviewed by the Institute Promotion and Tenure Committee. For more information, please contact Sarah Lewis (sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

The Fourth Summit: Geroscience for the Next Generation — Bethesda, MD — April 24-26, 2023

The basic tenet of geroscience is that slowing the rate of aging yields better health at older ages. In the original formulation of the geroscience hypothesis, the “pace of aging” refers to the speed of molecular changes that eventually determine the typical phenotypic manifestations of aging both instantaneously and over the lifespan. The ultimate goal of geroscience is to promote a state of health at any age, but particularly in old age when the mechanisms of resilience start to fade. Thus, a core goal of geroscience is to produce informed evidence-based clinical tools for a more comprehensive health assessment through measures of the rates of biological aging and of its impact on losses of function and morbidities accumulation. GSIG is developing this Fourth Geroscience Summit as a way to strengthen the links between the biology of aging with clinical practice to better achieve the goal of geroscience. One aim of the Summit is to push the field toward the development of new, most informative, precise, and reliable measures of aging and ask how those measures might contribute to more effective translation, turning discoveries into better health. To facilitate this goal, Summit participants will look for a common language that might bridge the gaps between biological changes and clinical outcomes.

The Fourth Geroscience Summit will take place on April 24-26, 2023, in a hybrid setting. The objectives of the Fourth Geroscience Summit are to:

  1. Emphasize the need to further develop and implement geroscience while considering the breadth and heterogeneity of physiology among individuals across all populations. Such emphasis requires expanding the geroscience hypothesis in the contexts of precision medicine, minority health, and health disparities.
  2. Consider how and whether multimorbidity and geriatric syndromes, which are important for the implementation of geroscience in clinical practice, could be implemented in research on the biology of aging.
  3. Review metrics to assess health as fundamental to the understanding of “biological age” in contrast to “chronological age” as a means to develop a common language between research in basic biology and implementation of geroscience in clinical care.
  4. Review and discuss new attempts to model aging through mathematical and artificial intelligence approaches, and what these new approaches add to our understanding of aging and their potential impact on development of biomarkers for aging.
  5. Examine the importance of inclusive geroscience in clinical trials, medical training, and practice.
  6. Find language that might bridge gaps between research on the biological mechanisms of aging and clinical practice.

For more information, please contact Dr. Ronald Kohanski (kohanskir@mail.nih.gov, 301-496-6402) or Dr. Siobhan Addie (Siobhan.addie@nih.gov, 301-827-6099).

28th Annual NIA IRP Scientific Retreat — Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore — Spring 2023
This NIA-sponsored event will feature large poster sessions, brief talks from IRP scientists, and a keynote address. For more information, please contact Sarah Lewis (sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

Chronic Inflammation Aging Workshop — Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore — Spring 2023

The NIA IRP will host this event to aim to explore the source of age-associated inflammation, as well as distinct differences between acute and chronic inflammation. For more information, please contact Matt Hasek (matthew.hasek@nih.gov) or Sarah Lewis (sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

The 17th Annual Division of Aging Biology New Investigators Forum (DABNIF) — Bethesda, MD — June 20-21, 2023

The DABNIF is a long-standing yearly event. It brings together new DAB awardees in the spring of the year following their award to meet and interact with NIA program and review staff as well as to network with each other. These are investigators at an early stage of their research careers who are new to funding by DAB. The overarching goal of the meeting is to encourage continued success for the new PIs in the field of aging and to encourage interactions and collaborations. Specifically, DABNIF provides the participating PIs an opportunity to get to know, in person, DAB and DEA staff; learn about the scientific review, grant administration, and NIA-specific grant mechanisms; and network with colleagues at a similar stage of their career. To this end, each PI will present a poster describing the planned research (or results to date) and give an “elevator speech,” a short talk where they will introduce themselves and briefly talk about their research interests and career goals. In addition to these activities, the forum’s agenda includes a keynote presentation by an expert in the area of aging and talks by DAB staff and NIA leadership on issues such as scope of the science supported by DAB, funding mechanisms, use of the Guide, navigating the NIA website, grant review issues, and in-depth discussions on writing successful grant applications. Ample question-and-answer opportunities are provided throughout the program. This forum directly supports the NIA mission related to fostering new areas of research in aging as well as to disseminate information about aging-related grant opportunities to the scientific community. As a result of past meetings, we have found that the PIs set up new collaborations and increase their interactions with DAB staff. They are also much more likely to keep DAB staff informed on their new publications and progress. In addition, the format of the forum reflects past years’ anonymous participant evaluation and feedback. The forum will be held on June 20-21, 2023, for 1.5 days in Bethesda, MD. For more information, please contact Dr. Manuel Moro (morom@mail.nih.gov, 401-496-6402).

Heterochronic Blood Exchange Grantees Meeting (RFA-AG-21-002) — TBD — Summer 2023

The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the state of the science with regard to heterochronic blood exchange and aging research with awardees of RFA AG-21-002. The value of heterochronic blood exchange is to understand causal factors for different rates of aging and to reveal mechanisms of rejuvenation or accelerated aging that might differ from the processes of aging without interventions. This evolves from the observation that young bodies can respond to “old information” and that old bodies retain responsiveness to young information vis-a-vis rates of aging in diverse tissues and cell types.

Awards under this funding opportunity announcement support research on aspects of rejuvenation and accelerated aging observed specifically in heterochronic blood exchange experiments. The objectives are to identify the multiple factors involved, the multiple cell types involved, and the mechanisms underlying rejuvenation or accelerated aging that are observed in the transfer of phenotypes between young and old laboratory animals. It is also anticipated that molecular signatures of rejuvenation or accelerated aging will be obtained from research supported under this funding opportunity announcement. The 10 awardees from RFA-AG-21-002 will have an opportunity to discuss progress and challenges in their respective areas of research, connect with other scientists in this space to form new collaborations, and meet NIA program staff. The meeting will also include investigators working with these technologies but not supported by this request for applications, to encourage continued work and collaboration within this field. For more information, please contact Dr. Siobhan Addie (Siobhan.addie@nih.gov, 301-496-6402), Dr. Ron Kohanski (kohanskir@mail.nih.gov, 301-496-6402), or Dr. Amanda Dibattista (Amanda.dibattista@nih.gov, 301-496-9350).

Exercise and Tissue Resilience in Aging — Bethesda, MD — Summer 2023

The benefits of exercise towards improving health throughout life are well accepted. The major knowledge gap lies in the fact that we do not understand the molecular mechanisms that mediate all of these myriad effects, since preclinical data from rats in the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium indicate that all organs respond to exercise and thus it is physiologically essential that these responses are coordinated and regulated in order to maintain overall homeostasis. Complex tissue interactions have been documented between multiple organs independent of exercise and the dynamic and beneficial effects of exercise on numerous organ systems are also well documented. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together experts from diverse fields, including exercise physiology, endocrinology, genetics, and bioinformatics to prioritize the areas that appear most ready for investigation and to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the responses to exercise the most. For more information, please contact Dr. John Williams (williamsj6@mail.nih.gov, 301-496-6403).

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Content, Media, Outreach, and Meetings

Web Content

Research Highlights

Health Information Articles

Alzheimers.gov Health Information Articles

Inside NIA Blog

Print Publications and PDFs

Media & Outreach

NIH News Releases

Web Statements and Announcements

Outreach

Infographics, Videos, and Graphics

Social Media

Toolkits

Email Listservs

Sent 74 emails from April 1 to July 31, 2022, to the following email lists:

  • Healthy Aging Highlights: 51,540 subscribers
  • Alzheimer’s News & Announcements and Clinical Trials: 30,210 subscribers
  • Alzheimer’s Recruitment Resources: 4,954 subscribers
  • News Roundup: 60,707 subscribers
  • Caregiving Tips and Resources: 18,189 subscribers
  • Inside NIA Blog: 20,410 subscribers
  • NIA Funding Opportunities: 14,088 subscribers
  • Consejos para el Envejecimiento Saludable (Healthy Aging Tips): 1,923 subscribers
  • NIA Training and Career Development Updates: 2,465 subscribers

Webinars

Meetings

Conferences, Exhibits, and Events

Meetings with Stakeholders

  • NIA Workshop, “Gaps and Opportunities for Real-World Data Infrastructure”; May 4, 2022 — Dr. Richard Hodes delivered opening remarks for the workshop, which explored gaps in real-world data infrastructure and opportunities to expand the availability of real-world data sources for aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.
  • Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Forum; May 18, 2022 — In a presentation to forum attendees, Dr. Richard Hodes discussed budgetary updates and advancements in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.
  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop, “Mechanisms for Organizational Behavior Change to Address the Needs of People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias”; May 23, 2022 — Dr. Melinda Kelley provided opening remarks for this workshop, which explored mechanisms of hospital organizational behavioral change to improve care for those living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
  • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB); June 6, 2022 — Dr. Richard Hodes, Dr. Melinda Kelley, and other NIA leaders and staff met with ASBMB to discuss NIA budgetary and research updates, as well as training and career development opportunities.
  • NIA Webinar for Early-Career Researchers; June 30, 2022 — Dr. Richard Hodes and other NIA leaders participated in a webinar for early-career researchers, moderated by Dr. Brienne Miner on behalf of the American Geriatrics Society. The webinar provided an overview of NIA, its mission, and organizational structure; insights into the research priorities of NIA’s scientific and programmatic divisions; information on NIA training and career development opportunities; and a question-and-answer segment with NIA leaders.
  • NIAMS/NIMHD/NIA Health Disparities in Osteoarthritis Workshop; July 13, 2022 — Dr. Richard Hodes provided closing remarks for this workshop, which convened investigators, NIH leaders, and the public to discuss health disparities in osteoarthritis and how they can be addressed.
  • NIA-VA Partnership Meeting; July 15, 2022 — Dr. Richard Hodes and Dr. Melinda Kelley, along with other NIA staff, convened with Veterans Affairs leaders to discuss ongoing collaborations between NIA and VA, as well as programmatic updates from the two groups.

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New Notices and Initiatives Relevant to the National Institute on Aging

For “Notices” and “Research Initiatives” with NIA’s participation or interest, please visit these two websites: Grants & Funding and NIH Funding Policies (please look for “Recent Changes in NIH Policy” on this web link).

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nia.nih.gov

An official website of the National Institutes of Health