To advance research in the field of geroscience – which studies the relationship between aging and disease – the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine has been awarded a $10.7 million federal grant.

The grant brings national recognition to geroscience research at the OU College of Medicine, the academic partner of OU Medicine. Simply getting older puts people at higher risk for a multitude of diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s to cardiovascular problems. Although aging itself isn’t an illness, researchers want to understand how it influences disease in order to delay or prevent the devastating conditions that many people face.

“This grant highlights the significant momentum by researchers studying geroscience,” said Jason Sanders, M.D., MBA, senior vice president and provost of the OU Health Sciences Center and vice chair of OU Medicine. “Research distinguishes an academic health system like OU Medicine because new discoveries will enhance and personalize the care that Oklahomans receive for a number of diseases linked to aging.”

“Over the past several years, we have recognized that more than 95 percent of debilitating diseases are associated with age,” said Sonntag, who serves as co-principal investigator on the grant with Robert Anderson, Ph.D. “If we can understand the cellular changes that put cells and tissues at risk, that can go a long way toward understanding the cause of disease. This is a transformational approach to treating and managing disease, and we are a leader in this emerging field.”

Researchers have already begun building the bridge between laboratory science and patient care through the establishment of the Translational Geroscience Laboratory on campus.

The facility allows physicians and scientists to use technology such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy to view blood vessels in the brain, ultrasound to evaluate vascular health, and a high-tech walking mat to measure a person’s gait, which often changes because of an underlying microvascular disease.

“The geroscience research team serves as an excellent example of the power of collaboration in the search for new answers in health care,” said James Tomasek, Ph.D., vice president for research at the OU Health Sciences Center. “The COBRE grant award is exciting because it will not only increase the amount of research we conduct, but it supports the training of the next generation of researchers and physician-scientists in Oklahoma.”