AFAR’s Amplifying Geroscience Initiative aims to educate policymakers about the broad and potentially transformative benefits of geroscience on older citizens’ health and our nation’s economy.
AFAR is pleased to share that the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request includes $25 million for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support research on the biomarkers of aging. Biomarkers are measurable biological signals, often from blood, that can indicate how the body is aging and whether an intervention is having an effect.
Unlike many disease areas, aging research has lacked widely accepted, validated biomarker endpoints, which forces studies to rely on slow clinical outcomes that can take years to observe. This budget request represents a significant federal endorsement of geroscience research and a meaningful step toward accelerating progress on biomarkers of aging.
The HHS Budget in Brief report outlines: "Understanding the Biomarkers for Aging and Disease: Geroscience is a growing field focused on the discovery and translation of methods and interventions to prevent, minimize, or reverse age-related changes in the body that diminish health and quality of life for older people. The FY 2027 budget includes $25 million for the National Institute on Aging to advance the understanding of the causal biomarkers of aging and disease and elevate interventions that interrupt the drivers of aging through diet, physical activities, and pharmacology."
This progress is complemented by the advancement of AFAR’s FAST (Finding Aging Biomarkers by Searching Existing Trials) initiative that is now advancing as part of Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s (ARPA-H) PROactive Solutions for Prolonging Resilience (PROSPR) program. Read a related press release here.
AFAR is also grateful for the collective efforts of peer organizations who have been advocating for increased support for geroscience.
