# Senescence and Growth Differentiation Factors as Modifiers of Aging

> **NIH NIH R01** · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · 2020 · $616,605

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Aging is the primary risk factor for the majority of chronic diseases. Studies in mice have implicated specific
growth and differentiation factors (GDFs) and proteins secreted by senescent cells as potential modifiers of
aging. The objective of this proposal is to establish the rationale and provide robust clinical evidence for GDF8,
GDF11, and senescence-related proteins eotaxin (CCL11), intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), activin
A (AA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 2 (PAI2), as indicators of biological age and age-related conditions
in humans. The central hypothesis is that circulating concentrations of GDFs and senescence-related proteins
are associated with, and predictive of, clinically important health outcomes and can be altered by physical
activity. Samples from the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study; the largest and
longest randomized trial of a physical activity intervention in older adults, will be used to test this hypothesis,
and samples from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (HABC) Study will be used to validate study
findings. A novel multiplexed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay will be leveraged to
accurately quantify GDFs, and an advanced multiplexing platform will be used to measure senescence-related
proteins in LIFE and HABC biospecimens. In Specific Aim 1, a multidisciplinary team will first determine the
extent to which baseline concentrations of GDF8, GDF11, CCL11, ICAM1, AA and PAI2 are associated with
baseline measures of physical (i.e., gait speed, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score),
cardiopulmonary (i.e., blood pressure, forced expiratory volume), and cognitive (i.e., processing speed,
memory) function, inflammation, and prevalence of multimorbidity (based on the ICD-9 codes for 20 chronic
conditions). In Specific Aim 2, the degree to which baseline concentrations of GDFs and senescence-related
proteins predict longitudinal changes in a) gait speed and SPPB score, b) major mobility disability (i.e., the
inability to walk 400m), c) combined cardiovascular events (e.g., myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke); d)
adjudicated falls and injurious falls, e) cognitive function (as Aim 1), and f) the number of chronic conditions (as
in Aim 1), at 1 and 2 years in LIFE and at 2 and 4 years in HABC will be determined. Finally, Specific Aim 3 will
address whether a structured physical activity intervention impacts longitudinal changes in GDF8, GDF11,
CCL11, ICAM1, AA, and PAI2, compared to a health education control intervention, and the degree to which
change in the concentrations of these proteins parallel change in the health outcomes described in Aim 2. The
successful completion of the proposed research will fill an important translational gap in our understanding of
how GDFs and senescence-related proteins predict and, therefore, potentially mediate aging related disability
and disease in older women and men. U...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9894701
- **Project number:** 5R01AG055529-03
- **Recipient organization:** MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Nathan K LeBrasseur
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $616,605
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9894701

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9894701, Senescence and Growth Differentiation Factors as Modifiers of Aging (5R01AG055529-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9894701. Licensed CC0.

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