Contact: Stacey Harris
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NEW YORK, August 17, 2006 -- Eighteen early and mid-career scientists were selected the 2006 recipients of three AFAR-supported grant programs to study a broad range of subjects covering the biological processes of aging and age-related diseases. The awards, the AFAR Research Grant, the Julie Martin Mid-Career Awards in Aging Research and the Ellison Medical Foundation/AFAR Senior Postdoctoral Research Program, together provide grants of more than $2 million each year.

Each of the more than 200 proposals received were first reviewed by AFAR's National Scientific Advisory Council - a volunteer corps of 200 of the nation's leading researchers on aging - who made recommendations to AFAR's Research Committee. After a one-day deliberation, the Research Committee, led by Richard Miller, MD, PhD, associate director for research at the University of Michigan Geriatrics Center, made its final selections in May.

AFAR Research Grant Program
For 25 years, AFAR, through its privately administered research grant program, has been supporting junior faculty MD and PhDs with one-to-two-year grants, currently $60,000. The goal of the grant program is to fund scientists in the early phase of their careers with start-up grants enabling them to study the basic mechanisms of aging, age-related diseases and processes underlying common geriatric functional disorders. Highlights of some of this year's recipients include:

Jonathan Godbout, PhD, assistant professor, Ohio State University, is studying how age-related changes in the brain lead to impaired immunity and neurobehavioral complications in the elderly. Project title: Aging, Cytokines and Depressive Behavior

Scott Gordon, PhD, assistant professor, East Carolina University, is studying how blocking AMPK, an enzyme found in elevated amounts in aged skeletal muscle, may act as a target for allowing the synthesis of new proteins to prevent muscle wasting in aged rats. This research has ramifications not only for age-related muscle deterioration, but also for spinal cord injuries, AIDS and other conditions related to severe muscle wasting. Project title: Targeted Rescue of Protein Translation and Synthesis in Aged Skeletal Muscle

Elizabeth Kensinger, PhD, assistant professor, Boston College, is investigating the cognitive (thought-level) and neural (brain-level) processes that younger and older adults use to help them remember information that has positive or negative emotional significance to them. By understanding which aspects of emotional memory are impacted by healthy aging as compared to age-related disease, this research may provide ways to distinguish healthy from pathological aging at a relatively early stage. Project title: How Aging Affects Memory for Emotional Events: Behavioral and Neuroimaging Investigations

Paul Schmidt, PhD, assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania, is studying how a recently identified gene called couch potato (cpo) influences the rate of aging in fruit flies. Reduction in cpo expression is associated with the ability to express diapause, a form of hibernation. Flies that express diapause are longer-lived. His research will examine the impact cpo expression level has on lifespan and rates of aging including the role it plays in nervous system regulation. Project title: Couch Potato Aging in Drosophila

Julie Martin Mid-Career Award in Aging Research
This newest addition to the AFAR awards program, funded by the Ellison Medical Foundation, provides four-year grants of $550,000 to mid-career scientists each year who are engaged in research that could lead to novel approaches to aging. Established in memory of the wife of AFAR's scientific director, George M. Martin, MD, the award encourages research that is high risk, offering the potential for high payoff in advancing our understanding of basic aging. Recipients of this year's award are:

Ann Hill, PhD, associate professor, Oregon Health and Science University, is studying how cytomegalovirus infection affects immunity in the elderly. It is estimated that 70% of Americans are affected with cytomegalovirus. In the elderly, those infected respond poorly to flu vaccination. By understanding how CMV affects immunity, flu vaccines that could be more effective in the elderly could be developed resulting in a major public health benefit. Project title: Cytomegalovirus Infection and Immunosenescence

Peter Klein, MD, PhD, associate professor, University of Pennsylvania, is investigating the role that lithium and other medications play in inhibiting the enzyme GSK-3, which is linked to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. This work may elucidate the biological mechanisms that cause neuronal loss and dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease and could lead to novel approaches to treating this disorder. Project title: Role of GSK-3 in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Ellison Medical Foundation/AFAR Senior Postdoctoral Research Program
The program encourages and furthers the careers of postdoctoral fellows -- both MDs and PhDs -- in the fundamental mechanisms of aging. Two-year fellowships of $100,000 were awarded to three scientists:

Markus Kummer, PhD, postgraduate researcher at the University of California, San Diego, is researching the relevance of lipid rafts-dependent pathways on the production of amyloid beta peptide (A?), which is linked to Alzheimer's disease. Lipid rafts contain the enzymes that are essential for A? generation. The goal of his research is to derive a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of A? generation allowing for the manipulation of these pathways by pharmacological approaches to lower the A? burden in the brain and prevent neurodegeneration. Project title: Endocytosis Pathways of APP

Greg Mayeur, PhD, assistant project scientist at the University of California, Davis, is studying how genetic alterations affect the onset and progression of Fragile X associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a condition that causes dementia and movement disorders in people over the age of 50. Project title: Understanding Age Related Onset of Fragile X Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome

Robert Rissman, PhD, research associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, is studying how chronic exposure to stress is involved in Alzheimer's disease. His research will investigate how the pathways that govern stress response are altered in Alzheimer's disease, potentially allowing for a more complete understanding of how stress affects onset and progression of the disease. Project title: CRF Receptors and Stress-Induced Tau Phosphorylation

"This year's selections represent the best and the brightest new talent our nation has to offer in the field of aging research," said Dr. Miller. "It is through a greater understanding of the biological processes of aging and the interplay of genes, hormones, diet and even the environment, that will allow us to better understand how and why many diseases of aging occur and progress. The ultimate payoff would be to intervene and prevent these diseases from occurring altogether," he added.

AFAR has awarded more than 2,200 grants totaling nearly $93 million since it was founded in 1981.

To find out more about AFAR-supported grant programs, please visit http://www.afar.org/grants.html

AFAR wishes to thank the Ellison Medical Foundation as well as underwriters of the AFAR Research Grant Program: AFAR Board of Directors, The Bedminster Fund, The Clarence and Ann Dillon Dunwalke Trust, Eisai, Inc, The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the Partners of Goldman Sachs & Company, F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Diane Nixon, Pfizer Inc, The Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation, Joseph L.K. Snyder Trust, The Starr Foundation and the Irving S. Wright Endowment.

Scott E. Gordon Ph.D., Assistant Professor, East Carolina State: "Targeted Rescue of Protein Translation and Synthesis in Aged Skeletal Muscle"

James M. Harper Ph.D., Research Investigator, Univ. of Michigan: "Modulation of stress resistance and aging in mice"

Christopher Janus Ph.D.. Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville: "Memory recovery as a function of aging and tau transgene suppression"

D. Leanne Jones Ph.D., Assistant Professor, The Salk Inst. for Biolgical Studies: "Identification of factors regulating aging of the stem cell niche"

Matt Kaeberlein Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Washington: "Molecular genetics of life span extension by dietary restriction in C. elegans"

Elizabeth A. Kensinger Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, Boston College: "How aging affects memory for emotional events: behavioral and neuroimaging investigations"

Genevieve Neal-Perry M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine: "Hypothalamic Dysfunction: A Neuroendocrine Basis for Reproductive Aging"

Paul S. Schmidt Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Pennsylvania: "Couch potato aging in Drosophila"

Tao Weitao Ph.D., M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio: "Caloric Restriction Represses DNA Damage to Replication forks and Chromosomal Rearrangements"

Raghunatha Yammani Ph.D., Instructor, Wake Forest University School of Medicine: "Aging and S100A4 in cartilage"

AFAR Southeast Affiliate

Kreton Mavromatis M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Emory University: "Effects of Age on Endothelial Progenitor Cell Mobilization in Humans"

Zhiqiang Qu Ph.D., M.D., Assistant Professor, Emory University: "A Study on the Mechanisms of the best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy"

AFAR-Ohio Affiliate

Jonathan P. Godbout Ph.D., Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University: "Aging, Cytokines and Depressive Behavior"

Ann B. Hill Ph.D., Assocociate Professor, Oregon Health & Science University: "Cytomegalovirus infection and immunosenescence"

Peter S. Klein M.D., Ph.D., Assocociate Professor, University of Pennsylvania: "Role of GSK-3 in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Alzheimer's disease"

Markus P. Kummer Ph.D., Postgraduate Researcher, University of California, San Diego: "Endocytosis Pathways of APP"

Greg Mayeur Ph.D., Asstistant Project Scientist, University of California, Davis: "Understanding Age Related Onset of Fragile X Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome"

Robert A. Rissman Ph.D., Research Associate, The Salk Institute for Biolgical Studies: "CRF Receptors and Stress-Induced Tau Phosphorylation"