From June 1 through 5, AFAR convened three scientific meetings in Santa Barbara, California. Over fifty AFAR grantees assembled to report on their AFAR-supported research, and senior investigators from top institutions nationwide shared insights on emerging directions in the field.
First, AFAR hosted the New Investigators In Alzheimer’s Disease Grantee Meeting, sponsored by the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation. Grantees from 2007 to the present shared their current research through fast 5 minute “Data Blitz” presentations--the academic equivalent of speed dating--and Kristine Yaffe, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the University of California San Francisco, discussed the challenges and opportunities for translating research in cognitive aging.
The New Investigator grantees then joined recent recipients of the AFAR Research Grants, Ellison/AFAR Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Breakthroughs in Gerontology awards and the Glenn/AFAR Scholarships for Research in the Biology of Aging for the 27th Annual AFAR Grantee Conference. Presentations by senior scientists discussed a wide range of aging-related topics, including the role protein folding plays as we age, the interface of aging, the challenges of translating the biology of aging to clinical applications, the role pain receptors may play in aging, and how autophagy and inflammation affect delirium. The scientific poster session provided an opportunity for the grantees to present and discuss their work. AFAR Scientific Director Steven Austad, PhD, discussed the importance of communicating science to the general public. Robin Barr, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging provided an in-depth overview on NIA funding opportunities.
The Santa Barbara meetings concluded with the 5th annual Paul F. Glenn Workshop on the Biology of Aging. Moderated by Edward Lakatta, MD, of the National Institute on Aging, this year’s Glenn Workshop was themed “Mind the Gap: How Can we Apply Biology of Aging Findings to Human Health?” A small group of established and respected leaders in aging research were brought together to discuss and review strategies on how to more efficiently translate discoveries in basic aging research into interventions that will extend human healthspan.
At the meetings, AFAR was thrilled to receive a donation of one million dollars from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research to support our grant programs that deepen the pipeline of investigators dedicated to the biology of aging. AFAR is grateful to the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation for underwriting the New Investigators meeting, various AFAR supporters for underwriting the Grantee Conference, and The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research for underwriting the Glenn Workshop.
Learn more about AFAR’s grant programs here and look for video interviews with grantees soon.
