# Molecular mechanisms of calcification: roles and opportunities in diseases of aging

> **NIH NIH P01** · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · 2024 · $2,587,598

## Abstract

OVERALL SUMMARY
Molecular mechanisms of calcification: roles and opportunities in diseases of aging. Ectopic
calcification is a hallmark of major diseases of aging, including Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and
Alzheimer's Disease (AD), disorders that each represent the leading causes of central vision loss and
dementia among the aging population worldwide, and are currently incurable. There is an urgent need to
understand disease mechanisms to enable the development of effective treatments. The overall goal of this
Program Project is to elucidate the biological mechanisms of ectopic calcification and its role in the onset and
etiology of diseases of aging, with particular focus on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and
Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The major components of the ectopic calcifications in AMD and AD are proteins,
lipids and mineralized calcium phosphate, especially in the form of hydroxyapatite (HAP) and whitlockite
(WHT), but the roles of these components in the calcification process and disease progression are not known.
Four Projects, an administrative Core and a technical Core, will synergize to investigate ectopic calcification at
the molecular, cellular and organismal levels, and build a comprehensive view of the key molecules and
pathways responsible for this aging-related phenomenon. There are three overall Goals: (1) Elucidate the
molecular mechanisms of ectopic calcification; (2) Develop diagnostic sensors for ectopic calcification; and (3)
Dissect intra- and extra-cellular factors of ectopic calcification. The primary role of administrative Core will be to
facilitate interactions among the investigators to generate a comprehensive view of calcification that could not
be achieved by individual laboratories working alone.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10878721
- **Project number:** 5P01AG081167-02
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Francesca M Marassi
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $2,587,598
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10878721

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10878721, Molecular mechanisms of calcification: roles and opportunities in diseases of aging (5P01AG081167-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10878721. Licensed CC0.

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