17 Nov UW launches new research center to examine aging and age-related diseases
Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center focuses on link between metabolism and healthier aging
A new research center at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health will focus on understanding how metabolic changes associated with aging influence health and cause disease.
The National Institute on Aging has recognized the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s strength in aging research through a competitive grant awarded for the Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging.
Researchers will study how aging broadly affects biochemical reactions that provide energy to cells, and how metabolic dysfunction contributes to conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease, with the goal of generating insights that may one day guide improved approaches to health care.
The National Institutes of Health and UW–Madison are investing $6.3 million in the center to foster cross-campus collaboration on the biology of aging. Wisconsin joins eight other Nathan Shock Centers, which are named for the first director of the National Institute on Aging, part of the NIH.