The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has been dedicated since 1974 to conducting biomedical, social and behavioral research in order to improve the health and well-being of older Americans.
Through both extramural and intramural programs, the institute conducts and supports research focusing on aging processes, age-related diseases and special problems and needs of senior adults.
The National Institute on Aging also has a comprehensive information program designed to communicate information regarding research and health with older people, their families, health professionals, policymakers, researchers and others.
National Institute on Aging Research Programs – Intramural Research
NIA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) aims to support a broad-based research program focused on critical issues regarding the general biology of aging, as well as age-related disease and disabilities.
The specific areas of study on the biology of aging are concentrated on:
- characterization of normal aging
- cell cycle regulation and programmed cell death
- stress response
- DNA damage and repair
- genetics
- immunology
Meanwhile, the study of age-related disease and disabilities will focus on:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- cancer
- osteoporosis
- osteoarthritis and frailty
- cardiovascular disease and hypertension
- diabetes
In addition, researchers at the National Institute on Aging continue to develop and/or test different intervention strategies, such as gene therapy, pharmacotherapy and behavioral or lifestyle changes, to treat many age-related diseases.
Intramural Research Program Laboratories include:
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science (LCS)
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology (LMBI)
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI)
- Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry (LEDB)
- Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology (LEG)
- Laboratory of Genetics (LG)
- Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology (LEG)
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics (LNG)
- Laboratory of Neurosciences (LNS)
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience (LBN)
- Clinical Research Branch (CRB)
LMBI’s unifying theme is to uncover molecular mechanisms that are pertinent to understanding and ameliorating age-related diseases and disabilities, with particular emphasis on changes in the immune system.
Research in LEDB is focused on investigating the causes and consequences of disease and function-specific outcomes that are highly prevalent in the population. The program’s multi-modality and multi-disciplinary approach is applied in large population-based cohorts developed by LEDB scientists in collaboration with other intramural and extramural investigators.
The LEG conducts basic research in order to define the mechanisms of age-associated decline, and develop effective interventions.
The LG views aging as an integrated extension of human development, with certain genes having a great influence on the course of aging even in embryonic and fetal life.
The LMG looks into processes and mechanisms such as genomic instability, DNA repair, DNA replication and transcription, paying special attention to examining the role of DNA damage accumulation in senescence as the major molecular change with aging.
The LNG studies neuro-degenerative diseases based on a resolution of their genetic etiology, while the LNS aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural plasticity during the aging process and to develop novel interventions to prevent and treat neuro-degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s diseases and stroke.
Extramural Research
The Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) manages the National Institute on Aging grants and training policies and procedures, including oversight of grants and contract administration, scientific reviews and committee management functions. Moreover, DEA serves as a primary liaison between the NIA and the NIH Office of Extramural Research and with other institutes that share research interests.
In addition, DEA also manages NIA’s extramural training programs, career development programs, small business initiatives and other special programs. The division is also responsible for handling scientific integrity and ethical questions in research and manages the National Advisory Council on Aging.
The National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) was created by Congress to provide advice on programmatic and policy matters, more specifically “to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary, HHS, the Assistant Secretary for Health; the Director, NIH; and the Director, NIA on matters relating to the conduct and support of biomedical, social, and behavioral research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the aging process and the diseases and other special problems and needs of the aged.”
The Division of Aging Biology (DAB) plans and supports molecular, cellular and genetic research on the mechanisms of aging and age-associated conditions through various NIH grant mechanisms and contracts. Moreover, DAB also supports resource facilities that provide aged animals and banked tissues for use in aging research.
The Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) supports basic research and research training on the aging process, at both the individual and societal level, focusing on how people change through adulthood, as well as on the societal impact of the changing age-composition of the population.
The division fosters research stretching across disciplinary boundaries, from the genetics to comparisons across national populations, and from basic to translational at stages.
The Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG) supports research on health and disease in older people, as well as research on aging process over the human lifespan, including its relationship to health outcomes.
The DGCG is comprised of three major research areas, divided into three division branches: Geriatrics, Clinical Gerontology and Clinical Trials. Program-wide emphases include research training and career development to attract more scientists to the field of aging and to expand the development of current investigations in clinical medicine and biomedical research. The division also aims to apply new technologies to expand opportunities for clinical aging research.
Lastly, the Division of Neuroscience (DN) is organized into three separate branches, fostering and supporting extramural and collaborative research and training to enhance the understanding of neural and behavioral processes related to the aging brain.