# Pipeline in Aging Research Career Training (PACT)

> **NIH NIH R25** · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $408,999

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
We have developed the program, Pipeline for Aging Research Career Training (PACT). The project is a
research education and mentoring program featuring students and faculty from an urban University in
Washington, DC, three regional undergraduate Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and a respected and
experienced laboratory training center. A team of MSTEM faculty from Georgetown, North Carolina Central
and Hampton Universities will train and mentor underserved students in aging research topics including health
equity. The program will be enhanced by mentoring and educational activities that include presentations from
experts in Aging Science in the Washington, D.C. area
Awareness, confidence, and mentored lab research training provide students the tools to graduate college with
a science degree and pursue graduate studies in biomedical science. Training programs can be transformative
experiences that introduce students to a new vocabulary of scientific terms, concepts and career development
strategies. The PACT program we propose is designed to provide those key experiences. The goal of the NIA
R25 program is to “encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue further studies or careers in
biomedical research.” The program proposed is creatively designed to support that goal.
The impact of this program will be the successful training and mentoring of 15 undergraduate students each
year. The trainees will gain facility in research practice and techniques by participating in an intensive
residential 6-day summer laboratory training course at the Georgetown University BioScience training labs.
Lectures and laboratories are designed to highlight aging science topics and use of cell types and reagent kits
and techniques relevant in aging research. Undergraduate trainees will be matched with mentors and train in a
laboratory for an additional 8 weeks in the summer and the academic year. Structured mentoring and career
development activities will continue to be provided with a focus on discovery of career choices in aging
disciplines.
In leveraging the central Washington D.C site, an annual Aging Research forum will be hosted on the GU
campus for trainees and mentors. Research project findings will be presented by summer trainees. The forum
will feature a panel of NIH and Aging experts who will present on topics in Geroscience and Health Equity and
aging career trends and introduce students to further opportunities for training. The PACT program plan will
enhance underserved student participation in bioscience research and provide confidence and exposure to
continue on with a career in aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10849153
- **Project number:** 1R25AG086122-01
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JAN K BLANCATO
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $408,999
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-15 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10849153

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10849153, Pipeline in Aging Research Career Training (PACT) (1R25AG086122-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10849153. Licensed CC0.

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