# Effects of paternal aging on male reproductive biology and on future generations

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2021 · $508,917

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Over the past century, a marked demographic shift in the United States and other
wealthy countries has lead to childbearing occurring later and later in life. In addition to
the decrease in fecundity that accompanies aging, there is accumulating evidence that
paternal age can impact offspring health and disease. This has typically been attributed
to the effects of advanced paternal age on genetic changes in sperm that are transmitted
to children. Here, we consider an underappreciated possibility – that the aging process
affects epigenetic information carried in sperm, with resulting “epimutations” being
responsible for the altered phenotypes that manifest in the next generation.
 Here, we propose to investigate the effects of aging on key male reproductive
tissues, including the testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle, and prostate. We will explore
the effects of advanced paternal age on a variety of behavioral and metabolic traits in
offspring, and will comprehensively analyze molecular differences between sperm
obtained from young and old animals.
 Together, these experiments systematically address the effects of aging on male
reproductive function and on future generations, and may provide therapeutic avenues
for mitigating the effects of delayed paternity on disease risk in children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10272452
- **Project number:** 1R01AG073238-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** OLIVER J RANDO
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $508,917
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10272452

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10272452, Effects of paternal aging on male reproductive biology and on future generations (1R01AG073238-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10272452. Licensed CC0.

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