A new Los Angeles research center has been funded by the National Institute on Aging to investigate such challenges as helping people live longer, healthier and more independently as they get older, it was announced Thursday.
The NIA has awarded a $6.5 million, five-year grant to create the Los Angeles Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (LA OAIC). The center is a collaboration among Cedars-Sinai, UCLA and USC and is part of a national network of 15 such centers conducting clinical trials on aging across the country.
The LA OAIC will focus on “translational geroscience,” research that turns discoveries about the biology of aging into practical treatments that prevent disease and extend healthspan, the portion of the lifespan spent in good health, according to Cedars-Sinai.
“This partnership allows us to accelerate breakthroughs that can directly improve quality of life for older adults,” said Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and co-director of the new center.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population will be 65 or older by 2060. Researchers say this creates a critical need to address the onset of multiple chronic diseases linked to aging. By intervening in the aging process at the biological level, scientists aim to prevent, delay and treat multiple medical conditions simultaneously.
The new research hub is led by principal investigator Dr. Sara Espinoza, professor of medicine, director of the Center for Translational Geroscience, and co-director of the Center on Aging and Diabetes at Cedars-Sinai.
“This prestigious grant provides Cedars-Sinai the opportunity to expand its geroscience research within our institution, across Los Angeles, and beyond, with the long-term goal of offering evidence-based healthy aging guidance for older adults,” Espinoza said.
The center’s four primary aims include developing advanced gerotherapeutics for extension of human healthspan; expanding the scope of clinical trials in translational geroscience; increasing the research workforce in translational geroscience; and providing leadership, enhance implementation and promote dissemination of knowledge about geroscience.
“This designation strengthens our commitment to addressing the health challenges of aging — not only for today’s older adults, but for future generations as well,” said Jonathan Wanagat, a geriatrician at UCLA and a co-director of the new OAIC.
The center was named for Claude D. Pepper, a longtime U.S. congressman and senator from Florida who became a leading national advocate for older Americans.