Sturmlechner Ines, Ashiqueali Sarah A, Martini Hélène, Valdivieso Karla, Franco Ana Catarina, Guthikonda Prashanth, Dosch Andrew J, Prieto Luis I, Asmussen Niels C, Latham Amanda S, Redden James T, Leitschuh Ethan A, Mashek Douglas G, Passos João F, Rodriguez-Lopez Jhonny, Monroe T Blake, Bernlohr David A, Robbins Paul D, Knopf Bailey A, Lamming Dudley W, Johnston Matthew J, Brown-Borg Holly M, Tye Spencer A, Rhoads Timothy W, Gate David M, Childs Bennett G, Baker Darren J, Li Xinna, Jang In Hwa, Camell Christina D, Miller Zachary, Phatnani Hemali, Konopka Adam R, Haak Andrew J, Vanegas-Avendano Natalia, Akula Ramya N, Limkar Ajinkya R, Ricke William A, Leiser Scott F, Correia Jacinta, Bai Hua, Olszewski Szczepan, Seldeen Kenneth L, Budinger G R Scott, Morales-Nebreda Luisa C, Winter Deborah R, McCrady-Spitzer Shelly K, Anderson Rozalyn M, Mihaylova Maria M, Rojas Mauricio, Mora Ana L, LeBrasseur Nathan K, Schafer Marissa J
Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2026 Feb 5;81(3). doi: 10.1093/gerona/glaf280.
Geroscience research benefits from interdisciplinary approaches, team science, and collaborations, which collectively facilitate the discovery of aging mechanisms and their translation into tangible, clinical interventions. Since its inception in 2019, the Midwest Aging Consortium (MAC) has provided an engaging platform for aging researchers in the United States' Midwest to connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas. The Sixth Annual Research Symposium of the MAC held at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in April 2025 highlighted the continued impact of the MAC in bringing together aging researchers, including many trainees and early career investigators, into a collaborative environment. This record-setting event featured interdisciplinary research on key aging mechanisms, including lipid metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, stress response, cellular senescence, and immune adaptations across organ systems. New therapeutic concepts and clinical trial approaches were presented. Cutting-edge methodologies including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, metabolomics, and organoid cultures, to dissect aging process in tissue-specific and systemic contexts also were presented. Overall, the MAC symposium underscored the translational potential of geroscience and reinforced the MAC's mission to accelerate aging research through regional collaborations and innovation.
