Stimulating Pittsburgh Research in Geroscience Working Group

Vision

Fueling fundamental discovery in basic biology of aging research to bridge translational science and promote healthy aging.

Mission

The goal of this working group is to promote healthy aging through multidisciplinary bench science and clinical translation. We support team science in the investigation of basic mechanisms underlying diseases associated with aging, including but not limited to mitochondrial disorders, cancer, musculoskeletal degeneration, cardiovascular disorders, and neurodegenerative disease. We aim to create a collaborative community of scientists for the exchange of knowledge, tools and techniques to investigate mitochondria, aging, and metabolism by:

Establishing a medium for interaction which will include robust monthly presentations and an annual retreat
Strategically hosting collaborative outside speakers to our campus;
Creating a repository of animal and human tissues to facilitate pilot studies and stimulate novel research directions;
Establishing an interactive website to encourage communication and synergy among Pittsburgh BBA community members;
Developing a collaborative pilot project funding program;
Developing a SPRIG Scholars Program to support graduate student and postdoctoral training and development; and
Translating our efforts to the clinic by partnering with our local UPMC Clinical Analytic Group to promote personalized medicine.

Our long term goal is to establish the University of Pittsburgh as the international leader in aging research by creating an outstanding research environment through the development of training grants and collaborative grants and eventual establishment of a center of excellence.

Executive Committee Members

Fabrisia Ambrosio
Bennett Van Houten
Nam Vo

Internal Advisory Board

Charles Reynolds
Steven Shapiro

External Advisory Board

Judith Campisi, The Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Julie Andersen, The Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Peter Rabinovitch, Director of the University of Washington Nathan Shock Center

For more information, visit Stimulating Pittsburgh Research in Geroscience (SPRIG).