P01AG081167

Molecular Mechanisms of Calcification: Roles and Opportunities in Diseases of Aging - Overall Summary

Molecular Mechanisms of Calcification: Roles and Opportunities in Diseases of Aging. Ectopic calcification is a hallmark of major diseases of aging, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), disorders that each represent the leading causes of central vision loss and dementia among the aging population worldwide, and are currently incurable. There is an urgent need to understand disease mechanisms to enable the development of effective treatments.

The overall goal of this program project is to elucidate the biological mechanisms of ectopic calcification and its role in the onset and etiology of diseases of aging, with particular focus on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The major components of the ectopic calcifications in AMD and AD are proteins, lipids, and mineralized calcium phosphate, especially in the form of hydroxyapatite (HAP) and whitlockite (WHT), but the roles of these components in the calcification process and disease progression are not known.

Four projects, an administrative core, and a technical core, will synergize to investigate ectopic calcification at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels, and build a comprehensive view of the key molecules and pathways responsible for this aging-related phenomenon. There are three overall goals: (1) elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ectopic calcification; (2) develop diagnostic sensors for ectopic calcification; and (3) dissect intra- and extra-cellular factors of ectopic calcification.

The primary role of the administrative core will be to facilitate interactions among the investigators to generate a comprehensive view of calcification that could not be achieved by individual laboratories working alone.

The Medical College Of Wisconsin

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 United States

Single Zip Code

NIA Program Project Applications (P01 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-19-314)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 195% from $2,636,387 to $7,772,277.