Extending Life, Enhancing Life A National Research Agenda on Aging (1991) / Chapter Skim
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2. Basic Biomedical Research
2. Basic Biomedical Research
Pages 47-56
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From page 47... ...
The dysfunctional changes associated with accelerated mortality rates during the later phase of adult life are collectively called senescence. Senescence is associated both with diseases of specific organs and tissues and with diffuse disorders that defy conventional classification.
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From page 48... ...
insects from genetically heterogeneous stocks [Dice and Goff, 19871; and identification of a single gene mutation that increases lifespan in the nematode Cacnorhabditis Vegans. Progress has been made in the development of chemically defined media for cultivation of normal diploid somatic cells to facilitate analysis of mechanisms of clonal senescence and cellular repair.
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From page 49... ...
· ~. r .~ ~ · ~ .~ These disturbances in proliferative homeostasis, a fundamental process responsible for appropriate replacement of cells that have become lost either because of exposure to toxins or because of encTogenous physiological processes, pday major roles in cellular regeneration and repair and in the genesis of several of the most important age-related human disorders: cancer, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and altered immune function (Martin, 19791.
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ADDITIONAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES The identification of two major research recommendations in no way is intended to detract from the importance of other areas of biogerontological research. Some promising research directions not included in the major recommendations also are worthy of encouragement and support.
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From page 51... ...
The general question of altered gene expression in aging is of the utmost urgency if we are to understand the biological bases of aging, and the role of environmental influences, such as free radicals, radiation, and various toxicants, raises an additional and pressing set of questions about how the environment may influence aging fames et al., 1985J. While some research is focusing on various types of molecular damage, studies on the mechanisms of selective changes in gene activity should receive special emphasis.
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Funding of Research Proposals The NIH funds about one in four approved research proposals. The committee believes that many worthy research questions are not being examined because of lack of funding and that many promising lines of research are being abandoned or delayed.
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Efforts should be made to increase the accessibility of archival information, especially the data from previous major longitudinal studies. These studies include information about childhood and adolescence that may form the basis for future gerontological research {Verclonik ant!
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is resource support to perform high-technology tasks, such as specialized laboratories for cell biology, that are fundamental to a wicle range of aging research. Three such laboratories are recommended to serve as regional infrastructure support for basic biomedical studies on aging.
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, other reasons for the female lifespan advantage are obscure. For other mammalian species it is still not clear whether a consistent gender differential in lifespan really exists.
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From page 56... ...
1987. The genetic defect causing familial Alzheimer's disease maps on chromosome 21.
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