The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
Geroscience. 2021 Oct;43(5):2139-2148. doi: 10.1007/s11357-021-00426-x. Epub 2021 Aug 9.
Understanding basic mechanisms of aging holds great promise for developing interventions that prevent or delay many age-related declines and diseases simultaneously to increase human healthspan. However, a major confounding factor in aging research is the heterogeneity of the aging process itself. At the organismal level, it is clear that chronological age does not always predict biological age or susceptibility to frailty or pathology. While genetics and environment are major factors driving variable rates of aging, additional complexity arises because different organs, tissues, and cell types are intrinsically heterogeneous and exhibit different aging trajectories normally or in response to the stresses of the aging process (e.g., damage accumulation). Tackling the heterogeneity of aging requires new and specialized tools (e.g., single-cell analyses, mass spectrometry-based approaches, and advanced imaging) to identify novel signatures of aging across scales. Cutting-edge computational approaches are then needed to integrate these disparate datasets and elucidate network interactions between known aging hallmarks. There is also a need for improved, human cell-based models of aging to ensure that basic research findings are relevant to human aging and healthspan interventions. The San Diego Nathan Shock Center (SD-NSC) provides access to cutting-edge scientific resources to facilitate the study of the heterogeneity of aging in general and to promote the use of novel human cell models of aging. The center also has a robust Research Development Core that funds pilot projects on the heterogeneity of aging and organizes innovative training activities, including workshops and a personalized mentoring program, to help investigators new to the aging field succeed. Finally, the SD-NSC participates in outreach activities to educate the general community about the importance of aging research and promote the need for basic biology of aging research in particular.
了解衰老的基本机制对于开发干预措施具有重要意义，这些干预措施可以预防或延缓许多与年龄相关的衰退和疾病，同时延长人类的健康寿命。然而，衰老研究中的一个主要混杂因素是衰老过程本身的异质性。在机体水平上，很明显，生理年龄并不总是预测生物年龄或易患脆弱或病理学。虽然遗传和环境是驱动衰老速度不同的主要因素，但由于不同的器官、组织和细胞类型本身具有异质性，并在正常情况下或在衰老过程的压力下（例如，损伤积累）表现出不同的衰老轨迹，因此会出现额外的复杂性。解决衰老的异质性需要新的和专门的工具（例如单细胞分析、基于质谱的方法和先进的成像）来识别跨尺度的衰老新特征。然后需要使用前沿的计算方法来整合这些不同的数据，并阐明已知衰老标志之间的网络相互作用。还需要改进基于人类细胞的衰老模型，以确保基础研究结果与人类衰老和健康寿命干预措施相关。圣地亚哥内森·休克中心（SD-NSC）提供了先进的科学资源，以促进衰老异质性的研究，并促进使用新型人类细胞衰老模型。该中心还拥有一个强大的研究开发核心，为衰老异质性的试点项目提供资金，并组织创新的培训活动，包括研讨会和个性化指导计划，以帮助刚进入衰老领域的研究人员取得成功。最后，SD-NSC 参与外展活动，向公众宣传衰老研究的重要性，并特别强调衰老生物学基础研究的必要性。
