Coordinating Center for Primate Aging Research

SUMMARY The Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC), California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) present a unique combination of resources and expertise to support and enhance “studies…of primate species life span differences, and mechanisms that may mediate

such relationships,” per RFA-AG-24-019. This R61/R33 application proposes a newly instantiated Coordinating Center for Primate Aging Research (CCPAR) jointly led by these institutions. The CCPAR will coordinate the work of a broad array of specialists across gerosciences and facilitate integration of data from R01s across

sites, endpoints, approaches to measurement, and species. Both NPRCs have well-established NIA-supported colonies of aged rhesus macaques and core scientists engaged in aging-related research. These two NPRCs, along with the broader NIH-funded NPRC Consortium and BCM, are uniquely qualified to successfully lead the

proposed CCPAR. The CCPAR will build a community of transdisciplinary nonhuman primate (NHP) aging researchers, develop novel resources to facilitate rigorous studies and data harmonization, and disseminate resources to the broader community through data sharing and public-facing communication. There will be a

focus on training, best practices, communication, and outreach within the Coordinating Center that forms the basis of broadly distributed “white papers.” There will be a commitment to enhancing the quality of data on longevity and health span, as well as the availability of such data through dedicated IT experts, databases, and

websites. The overall goal is to increase the harmonization and integration of existing data while putting systems in place to enhance data sharing for future studies. The CCPAR has the expertise necessary to assist in the design of robust methods, interpret multiple types of data, and link genetic data to cellular and behavioral

data as well as key environmental events that influence aging. We will pursue the following three Specific Aims, with the first two pursued in the R61 and R33 phases, and the third primarily pursued in the R33 phase: Aim 1. Enhance the quality and synergy of projects supported through RFA-AG-24-019 and facilitate the public

accessibility of their results; Aim 2. Identify promising directions for future research on determinants of species differences in human and nonhuman primate life spans and age-related outcomes through activities that engage researchers from pertinent fields; and Aim 3. Enhance the quality, public availability, and

interoperability of data sources needed to design and implement research on determinants of species differences in human and nonhuman primate life spans and age-related outcomes.