Los Angeles Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center - PROJECT SUMMARY – OVERALL We propose the creation of the Los Angeles Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (LA OAIC), the joint effort of three pre-eminent institutions, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and University of Southern California (USC). The overarching objective of the LA OAIC is to extend human healthspan by accelerating and expanding translational geroscience. The Specific Aims of the LA OAIC are to: (1) Develop advanced gerotherapeutics for extension of human healthspan; (2) Expand the scope of clinical trials in translational geroscience; (3) Increase the research workforce in translational geroscience; and (4) Provide leadership, enhance implementation, and promote dissemination of knowledge about geroscience. The LA OAIC will achieve these Aims through the following cores: (1) A Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC) that will direct operations and sponsor enrichment and dissemination activities; (2) A Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (PESC) that will provide scientific guidance and merit-based support for rigorously designed geroscience-guided studies and offer “mini-sabbaticals” for faculty to visit other laboratories; (3) A Research Education Component (REC) that will build a cadre of uniquely qualified scientists cross-trained in aging biology and translational geroscience; (4) An Advanced Gerotherapeutics Core (Resource Core [RC]1) that will provide expertise and infrastructure for discovery, development, and translation of novel interventions with gerotherapeutic potential; (5) A Clinical Research Core (RC2) that will provide direction and clinical research infrastructure for the evaluation of gerotherapeutics and gerodiagnostics in humans; and (6) A Data Science Core (RC3) that will provide biostatistical and bioinformatics expertise for experimental design, data analysis, and integration of multimodal geroscience data using AI and machine learning. The proposed LA OAIC is built on a robust foundation provided by the expertise of its leadership and members, many of whom have been pioneers in aging biology, geriatrics, and translational geroscience; exceptional research environments and resources in geroscience; and our location in the second largest metropolis in the U.S. with broad representation. LA OAIC will function as a vibrant hub for geroscience research and education. We anticipate that by the end of the project period the LA OAIC would have catalyzed the discovery and clinical translation of novel molecular targets and interventions with gerotherapeutic potential and the identification of novel gerodiagnostics/biomarkers to predict and monitor response and direct personalized interventions. Furthermore, the LA OAIC will prepare a cadre of outstanding scientists with the necessary skill sets for successful careers in translational geroscience.
