Speaking the Same Language: Team Science Approaches in Aging Research for Integrating Basic and Translational Science With Clinical Practice

Abstract

Research on aging is at an important inflection point, where the insights accumulated over the last 2 decades in the basic biology of aging are poised to be translated into new interventions to promote health span and improve longevity. Progress in the basic science of aging is increasingly influencing medical practice, and the application and translation of geroscience require seamless integration of basic, translational, and clinical researchers. This includes the identification of new biomarkers, novel molecular targets as potential therapeutic agents, and translational in vivo studies to assess the potential efficacy of new interventions. To facilitate the required dialog between basic, translational, and clinical investigators, a multidisciplinary approach is essential and requires the collaborative expertise of investigators spanning molecular and cellular biology, neuroscience, physiology, animal models, physiologic and metabolic processes, pharmacology, genetics, and high-throughput drug screening approaches. In an effort to better enable the cross-talk of investigators across the broad spectrum of aging-related research disciplines, a goal of our University of Pittsburgh Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center has been to reduce the barriers to collaborative interactions by promoting a common language through team science. The culmination of these efforts will ultimately accelerate the ability to conduct first-in-human clinical trials of novel agents to extend health span and life span.