The excitement and buzz was palpable as the AFAR Research Committee hunkered down for the very challenging job of selecting the best and the brightest scientists. How do you decide when the quality of grants is so high and the competition is so fierce? That's why we turn to Roger McCarter, PhD, who so ably leads this eminent committee and Steven Austad, PhD, who leads the post-doctoral grants review, which took place on May 20.

According to Dr. McCarter, "The grants were of the highest quality, higher than we've seen in a decade, and the scores were so close." So close that decisions on some of the AFAR Research Grants are still pending. We received many more applications than can be funded. For example, 38 applications were submitted for the Glenn/AFAR Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Award for just one (possibly two), albeit generous grant slot(s).

"We wish we could fund them all," said Stephanie Lederman, AFAR's executive director, "and we work hard all year to raise the money that will help us fund more and more of these talented researchers."

This year's grantees are studying everything from how oxidative stress affects cardiovascular aging, to aging's impact on memory, tissue regeneration and muscle maintenance.

You will read more about our 2008 grantees and grant awards in our next newsletter, The Grants Issue, coming out this summer.

The Grant Review Process
AFAR received 332 applications for six of its 2008 grant programs (see listings below). The first step is a rigorous review by our National Scientific Advisory Council (NSAC), comprised of more than 300 of the nation's leading researchers in aging and aging related fields, who volunteer their time and carefully consider each proposal's scientific merit. Members of this diverse panel screen, read, and score the applications before referring them to the AFAR Research Committee, who render the final selections.

Our approach to selecting the best science wherever it may be is why many foundations, corporations and individuals turn to AFAR to manage their grant programs in aging research. AFAR's excellent reputation is due in large part to our peer-review process carried forth by the voluntary work of the senior researchers in our network, who help us select the very best of the next generation of scientific minds. Thanks to their efforts, AFAR consistently administers first-class grant programs and ensures that its programs make only the highest quality choices.

In tough economic times, AFAR is proud to continue its 27-year tradition of providing flexible support to early-career scientists, allowing them to pursue innovative research theories at a critical juncture in their professional lives. We have also expanded with the Julie Martin Award, to help mid-career scientists maintain the progress of their promising research.

As we have often said, "Our people are our product." Our challenge continues to be to bring that product to the public to gain additional support so that no worthy research goes unfunded.

You can find out more about our grant programs here: www.afar.org/grants.html. Selections were made for the AFAR Research Grants, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation/AFAR New Investigator Awards in Alzheimer's Disease, Julie Martin Mid-Career Awards in Aging Research, Glenn/AFAR Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Award, Ellison Medical Foundation/AFAR Senior Postdoctoral Fellows Research Program and the Ellison Medical Foundation/AFAR Postdoctoral Fellows in Aging Research Program.