Welcome to the Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging.

On the following pages, you will find an introduction

to the general goals of our program as well as the scientists

and their research programs that comprise this exciting endeavor.

 

Scientific studies on the basic mechanisms of aging are critical

for the prevention of disease and disability

We are all aware that the general population of the country is rapidly aging. Life expectancy has increased dramatically in the past century from an average of 50 years in 1900 to approximately 80 years in 2000. Adults over the age of 65 now represent the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States and by 2030, it is estimated that 65 million Americans will be 65 years of age and older. However, with increasing age comes the risk for cancer, cardiovascular, neurological, and immunological diseases. In addition to these specific disease states, there are profound functional changes that occur in many tissue and organ systems of otherwise healthy individuals as they age including, but not limited to, muscle and bone loss and alterations in brain, muscle, kidney, GI, immune and reproductive function. These functional changes lead to many of the physical and cognitive impairments associated with age and are the leading causes of loss of independence and increased occurrence of disability in the elderly.  Despite the outstanding scientific research that has been conducted on the biological basis of specific diseases, there is limited knowledge related to why these diseases increase with age and even less information on the specific physiological and biochemical alterations that occur with increasing age that contribute to the occurrence of disability and disease in the elderly. These issues make it imperative that we understand the biological basis of normal aging, discover the fundamental changes that contribute to disability and disease in the elderly, and translate the information obtained from basic science studies to improving health of the older population.

 

The formation of the Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging was

initiated by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation

and matched by the State of Oklahoma

Recognizing the need for further research studies on the mechanisms of aging at the cellular and sub-cellular level, the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center was awarded a $7.5 million dollar grant from the Reynolds Foundation to initiate a basic science and translational research program in 2006. Six millon of that will be matched by the state, to make it a total corpus of $13.5 million to support research activities of the Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging.  The focus of this award is to stimulate research on the causes of cognitive decline and/or the loss of skeletal muscle mass with age. The portion of the grant dedicated to endowed chairs has been matched by the State of Oklahoma. The short-term goal of the program is to establish a new program of research on aging with emphasis on the basic mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases. The long-range goal for this initiative is to serve as a nexus for the development of translational research across disciplines and levels of biological organization that ultimately improve human health. The program capitalizes not only upon resources available at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), but is also structured to develop strong collaborations with the Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS). The resources proposed for this project will enhance research activities at OUHSC and will prove mutually beneficial to research at both institutions, the product of which will ultimately translate to better care for older populations of both states and the nation.

We believe that centers that excel in the basic sciences of aging provide important underpinnings for the most promising approaches to optimize the health of the aging population and prevent or delay age-related diseases.

 

Recruitment opportunities for basic scientists!