Scientific Resources

Open the door to a world of data

Question: What do these study questions from published papers have in common? What’s the relationship between widowhood and depression in the United States, Europe, Korea, and China? How and why do disability and morbidity among older people differ across 30 countries and three continents? Does making transportation universally accessible through free bus passes for older people in the United Kingdom reduce social isolation and increase physical activity?

NCRAD poised for major expansion

Infrastructure may seem like an odd word to use when thinking about research into Alzheimer’s disease. We want to see clinical trial results. We want answers on the basic mechanisms. We want prevention measures. And we want them all now! Infrastructure may seem less exciting, but it’s absolutely necessary to achieve our goals for research in Alzheimer’s disease. That’s why NIA has substantially increased the grant award to the Indiana University School of Medicine for the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD).

CALERIE Network aims to inspire, support new studies

The first study to specifically focus on the effects of sustained caloric restriction (CR) in humans—CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of the Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy)—collected a trove of biosamples and data. CALERIE investigators are now aiming to facilitate new studies and analyses that will take advantage of these resources.

Symposium celebrates open science, launches new data platform

It was great to see so many of you at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference last month! I was thrilled to catch up with colleagues, attend the special events, and learn about many new Alzheimer’s research findings. In case you missed it, NIA and the Alzheimer’s Association hosted a pre-conference symposium: “Enabling Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease Through Open Science.”

States and regions differ widely in longevity trends

The late Mayor Ed Koch of New York used to roll down the back window of his limousine when he was stopped at an intersection and yell out to nearby pedestrians: “How’m I doin’?” After an initial startle, many of them would yell back congratulations, complaints, or both. When Koch died, the New York Post published a memorable cover with his photo and the banner headline: “Ya did fine!”

Natural disasters: Conducting research, supporting affected labs

Harvey … Irma … Maria … hurricanes that won’t be forgotten any time soon. And, although they don’t have names, let’s not forget the Mexico City earthquake in September and the northern California wildfires in October. We know that the human, environmental, and economic costs of natural disasters are high. Older people face a number of challenges during natural disasters and we need to learn more about how to mitigate these challenges.

Release of MrOS dataset offers new opportunities for investigators

I’m excited to report to you that the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study group, in collaboration with Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute and the University of California, San Francisco, announced that 16 years of anonymous data on 5,994 older men are now available online to any researcher worldwide who registers at the study website.

You're invited! - Regional meeting for investigators in Denver Nov. 8

On November 8, I will be traveling to Denver, along with several NIA senior staff, for the NIA Director’s Regional Meeting on Aging Research, this time taking place at the University of Colorado, Denver. The meeting is part of our continuing effort to meet communities around the country who have a commitment to the problems of aging and the potential of aging research to address them.

The investigator's guide to the new NIA website

If you’re a faithful reader of the blog, you may have noticed things looking a little different around here in the past couple of months. You’re not imagining things! You are, indeed, on a brand-new NIA website!

Update, opportunities from NIA's Office of Special Populations

Now that we’re all back to work or back to school with the end of summer, I’d like to update you on some of the recent activities of NIA’s Office of Special Populations. We’re looking forward to a fall of funding opportunities and continued connections with you all to promote and support health disparities research related to aging.