Research Resources

NIA supports a multi-institutional study investigating pharmacological interventions that might extend lifespan or healthspan using diverse species and strains of Caenorhabditis. This approach leverages the genetic diversity within this genus to examine robustness of interventions. The CITP allows investigators to submit proposals for interventions to be tested for their ability to decelerate aging and extend lifespan. Please visit the CITP web page.

This webpage describes a network of NIA grantees willing to share resources that support comparative biology of aging studies.

NIA supports studies of human aging that have collections of biospecimens available for sharing. The Virtual Repository is a website that provides a central portal to these studies, with introductory information on participating studies.

NIA supports a multi-institutional study investigating diets and dietary supplements purported to extend lifespan and delay disease and dysfunction. ITP allows investigators to submit proposals for interventions to be tested for their ability to decelerate aging and extend lifespan in mice.

NIA maintains approximately 300 nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta) at three regional primate centers for conducting research on aging for NIA funded scientists. These animals range in age from 18 to 35 years. Please contact Dr. Manuel Moro for additional information.

The Nonhuman Primate Tissue Bank provides a source of archived tissue from aged nonhuman primates, primarily rhesus monkeys. The tissue is donated by primate centers and universities with primate colonies and is available as frozen tissue chunks, slides of fixed tissue sections, and OTC-embedded frozen tissues.

The NIA supports the Primate Aging Database (PAD), a searchable database that contains basic health and husbandry data from primates across the lifespan and from numerous research institutions. PAD, hosted by the Wisconsin National Primate Center, is a password-secured site. For information, go to https://primatedatabase.org.

NIA maintains colonies of aged rats and mice for use by the scientific community for research directly related to aging and age-related diseases. The animals are housed behind specific pathogen-free barriers and monitored for genetic purity and health status, and a health report accompanies each shipment of animals. In addition, NIA supports a tissue bank of flash-frozen tissues from mice and rats from the aged rodent colonies and tissue arrays containing punches of multiple ages and multiple tissues per slide. Please note that there are restrictions on eligibility to use the NIA aged rodent colonies.

• Aged Rodent Colonies Handbook
• Aged Rodent Tissue Bank Handbook
• Oldest Ages Available in NIA Aged Rodent Colonies
• Rodent and Tissue Bank Resources Information

The Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) provides high quality, next-generation sequencing, genotyping, and supporting statistical genetics services for qualifying NIH-funded investigators seeking to identify genes that contribute to human health and disease. NIA is one of 10 member institutes at NIH that support the CIDR program. Both intramural and extramural investigators may apply for access to CIDR services through a competitive, peer-reviewed process. Information about the CIDR program and how to apply for CIDR services is available.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides a wide range of public information and opportunities for discussion with sponsors of geroscience-related drug development programs. There has been increasing research attention to the concept of geroscience, which focuses on the role of aging mechanisms in age-related diseases. A central geroscience premise is that drugs or other interventions targeted at such mechanisms have the potential to prevent or treat multiple aging-related conditions. In early stages of planning and development of potential drug development programs, sponsors’ consideration of pertinent FDA Guidances and other public information may be useful. Learn about FDA policies and practices that may relate to geroscience-related drug development.