Aging is a biological process that is the major risk factor for chronic disease and degeneration during the lifespan. However, it is beginning to be appreciated that disease and degeneration impinge on the aging process, in something akin to a feedback loop, suggesting that a better knowledge of one contributes to an understanding of the other. This necessitates that development of therapeutic interventions must address the degenerative disorders of aging, while the search for broad interventions that target the biological aging process itself continues. The agenda just described calls for the creation and nurturing of an environment in which multidisciplinary research of sufficient breadth is focused on key elements of aging and regeneration. At the same time, it is necessary to populate this translational space with talented and successful investigators. Our Phase I and II COBRE launched and further propelled us in this direction by allowing us to seed several key research topics with ambitious junior investigators, who in just nine years have advanced to independently funded status with remarkable success. Our task is not yet done, however, if we are to maintain momentum and a critical mass of investigators dedicated to aging and regenerative medicine. COBRE Phase III will allow us to continue to grow our cadre of dedicated investigators through our pilot projects and by enriching the research environment through our mentoring and training programs, as well as topical seminars. These efforts will be aided by the maintenance of a state-of-the-art Genomics, Bioinformatics, and Molecular Imaging Core that has a sustaining revenue base. Our emphasis is on multiplying the opportunities for interactions that will generate collaborative projects that are synergistic and competitive for multicomponent project grant funding. Our goals are to: (1) Continue to expand the number of aging and regeneration research-oriented, funded investigators within our scientific community through our pilot projects, with emphasis on collaborative research, and to provide a mentoring program for these researchers and others that supports successful career development. (2) Maintain our state-of-the-art infrastructure to provide sustainable resources that continuously enhance the competitiveness of our faculty for national funding, by expanding and updating the services performed by our Genomics, Bioinformatics, and Molecular Imaging Core. (3) Cement the position of the Tulane Center for Aging at the forefront of aging and regenerative medicine by growth of our thematic, multidisciplinary research foci to facilitate successful extramurally funded collaborations that will support and sustain the center. This effort will be supported by our research workshops, training and career development programs, and seminars.

The unprecedented expansion of life expectancy during the past several decades and especially to the continuing retirement of the baby-boomers has led to hitherto unknown expectations related to the retention of physical and cognitive function abilities in the later decades of life. The program described here provides outstanding and highly translational projects aimed at the development of preventive and compensatory measures to enhance the quality of life in an aging population, an issue of premier importance for U.S. public health in the Twenty-First Century.