Establishing Houston as a regional hub for Biology of Aging research - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT The overarching goal of this K07 Academic Career Leadership Award is to strengthen and expand the regional infrastructure for Biology of Aging and geroscience research across Houston and Southeast Texas. Although the Houston area ranks among the top biomedical research centers in the nation, with over $1.1 billion in NIH funding within a 75-mile radius, aging biology remains disproportionately small in both research scope and training support. This proposal will address that gap through three synergistic aims that build institutional capacity, enhance training pipelines, and provide shared resources for long-term sustainability. Aim 1: Build institutional and regional capacity for geroscience research. This aim leverages strong institutional momentum to expand collaborative programs and increase visibility of aging research. Protected leadership time will support organization of the Houston Annual Symposium on Aging Research, which attracts about 100 attendees, and expansion of our monthly aging Seminar Series to include high profile external speakers. It will also strengthen coordination of the Gulf Coast Consortium on Aging and Geroscience, linking investigators across UTHealth Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, UTMB, and Texas A&M. A clear evaluation framework including participant engagement, grant submissions, and new collaborations will assess success and guide development of a future P-series Center application. Aim 2: Train the next generation of geroscience researchers. To address the regional shortage of structured training in aging biology, I will develop a coordinated training platform centered on a formal Course in Geroscience, a structured semester-long program integrating journal clubs, grantsmanship workshops, didactic lectures, invited seminars, and career-stage mentoring. This course will serve as the core of a unified training framework that links new undergraduate summer fellowships and graduate or postdoctoral fellowships to create a pipeline of trainees positioned for competitive F, K, and T- series submissions. Faculty development activities supported by in-kind support will provide structured mentorship and partial effort buyout for junior faculty, facilitating pilot projects and transition to extramural funding. Together, these initiatives will form the institutional foundation for a planned multi-institutional aging research T32 (see tables in candidate’s plan to provide mentoring). Aim 3: Strengthen institutional research resources for aging studies. A new Biology of Aging Resource Hub will consolidate access to aged mouse models, invertebrate lifespan assays, and banked tissues while providing workshops in specialized aging methodologies such as parabiosis and microbiome transfer. A centralized website will serve as a communication portal for resources, training, and collaborative opportunities. Institutional commitment and Impact. UTHealth Houston has committed $50,000 per year in institutional support, $30,000 per year from the Harry E. Bovay Endowment, and a $50,000 donor gift. By integrating infrastructure, training, and collaboration, this K07 will position Houston as a national leader in Biology of Aging and Geroscience.
