# San Diego Nathan Shock Center

> **NIH NIH P30** · SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES · 2020 · $1,032,080

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY – Overall
Since aging is the biggest risk factor of most human diseases and the overall functional decline in individuals,
there is great interest in understanding its biological underpinnings, with the ultimate goal of increasing the
number of healthy and productive years of human life (i.e., healthspan). Conserved mechanisms of aging and
longevity have been identified via investigations into the basic biology of aging. These include studies in model
organisms that have also shown that aging is pliable, opening the door for healthspan-promoting interventions.
However, a major complicating factor that impedes our understanding of aging and our ability to intervene is
the intrinsic and induced heterogeneity of the process. Distinct cell types have intrinsically different aging
modalities, and even identical cell types age at different rates depending on physiological context or
environmental exposures. These and other cellular heterogeneities (e.g., altered epigenetic states and gene
expression) can drive tissue dysfunction and age-related pathology that ultimately impact healthspan and
lifespan. Unravelling this complexity experimentally requires application of robust single-cell and imaging
approaches to address the heterogeneity of cellular aging head-on, as well as computational and mathematical
modelling approaches to illuminate aging networks and pathway interactions that involve known hallmarks of
aging. Another major gap in aging research is the need for new and better human cell and tissue models to
allow basic research directly relevant to human aging. Thus, the overarching premise of the proposed San
Diego Nathan Shock Center (SD-NSC) is to create the requisite infrastructure to facilitate and promote the
systematic study of cellular heterogeneity in aging and to provide novel cell and tissue models for basic human
aging studies. The SD-NSC will establish cutting-edge Research Resource Cores focused on: 1) novel human
cell and organoid models of aging, including from a unique human aging cohort that is annotated for physical
and functional measures of biological age, 2) single-cell and high resolution -omics and imaging techniques,
and 3) computational modelling of aging networks. The SD-NSC Research Resource Cores will provide
scientific services to the NSC Network and the aging research community, and disseminate samples, datasets
protocols, and computational tools. These resources will be complemented by a Research Development Core
and Center outreach activities that will provide: 1) pilot grants and customized mentoring programs to
encourage and support early-stage and established investigators new to aging research, 2) innovative in-
person and virtual training in advanced methods and technologies to address cellular heterogeneity, and 3)
intellectual leadership through novel programming to encourage collaboration and the dissemination of
knowledge related to the basic biology of aging. The SD-NSC will bring togethe...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10045533
- **Project number:** 1P30AG068635-01
- **Recipient organization:** SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
- **Principal Investigator:** GERALD SHADEL
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,032,080
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10045533

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10045533, San Diego Nathan Shock Center (1P30AG068635-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10045533. Licensed CC0.

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