The goal of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center (NSC3) is to enhance coordination and cooperation among the existing Nathan Shock Centers (NSCs) as well as enhance their leadership role and visibility in basic aging research. The NSCs themselves are tasked with strengthening research in the basic biology of aging, supporting new investigators, driving innovation, providing resources and intellectual leadership to the field. A successful NSC3 works in collaboration with the individual NSC leadership teams to leverage the strengths of the individual centers via shared activities to the benefit of all. The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national nonprofit organization which has served as the NSC3 since 2017. As the Coordinating Center, AFAR provides a forum to share and exchange information, primarily through Program Directors meetings, the NSC biannual meeting, annual sessions or symposia at national or international conferences, a dedicated NSC3 website, webinars and career development activities for the NSC pilot grant recipients. The NSC3 also offers an innovative opportunity for the NSCs to assume a leadership role in bringing to the forefront of aging research the newly re-emphasized NIH commitment to enhancing the reproducibility of all biomedical research through rigor and transparency. Advantages of AFAR to continue to serve as the NSC3 include: (1) an established infrastructure to facilitate ongoing as well as new NSC3 activities; (2) a strong rapport with NSC and NIA leadership; (3) an established an integrated approach to NSC activities and linking the NSCs, and aging communities with the lay public; (4) direct access to and communication with all 90+ NIA-supported Centers and their respective Coordinating Centers through the Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN); (5) AFAR is an impartial organization with broad and extensive network in the scientific community; (6) a demonstrated experience serving as a Coordinating Center with many similar features; and (7) a well-developed network of grantees, both current and alumni, and scientific leadership in aging research. AFAR will accomplish the functions of the NSC3 through the following aims: (1) Enhance the NSCs external communication with the lay public, expand information on resources in aging and related fields, and serve as a forum of scientific exchange among NSC investigators across sites as well as other NIA- and NIH-funded, federal and privately funded initiatives promoting aging biology training and/or research; (2) Work with the NSC directors to develop, distribute, and implement a shared state-of-the art approach and commitment to the renewed NIH emphasis on rigor, reproducibility and transparency (RRT) in pre-clinical studies; (3) Provide logistical support to the NSCs and their interactions with the appropriate NIA staff; and (4) Develop and implement evaluation strategies for assessing the effectiveness of the NSCs and NSC3, guide future directions and reporting outcomes to stakeholders.

Project Narrative – Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center The Coordinating Center will establish a system of coordination and communication between the Nathan Shock Centers, the National Institute on Aging, and the biology of aging research community that maximizes the Nathan Shock Centers’ strengths, supporting integrated scientific research approaches that enhance the impact of those activities and broadcast their availability to the larger research community as well as to the general public. This will contribute to our understanding of the biology of aging, and accelerate innovations that will help us live longer, healthier.