September 18, 2018 (New York, NY) - Geroscience--the burgeoning research field that focuses on the genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms that make aging a major risk factor for most chronic diseases as we age--takes center stage in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the world's most widely circulated medical journal.
"The fact that JAMA, long one of the most highly influential and respected voices for the medical community, invited five AFAR experts to contribute articles on different aspects of geroscience vividly illustrates how this important and potentially transformative area of research continues to gain momentum," AFAR Executive Director Stephanie Lederman said.
Highlighting how geroscience paves the way for therapeutic interventions and extending healthspan at large, the three articles co-authored by five AFAR experts are available online, and will appear in the October 2, 2018 print edition of JAMA . They are:
JAMA's recognition of geroscience builds on momentum led by AFAR experts in collaboration with major media and research partners.
"By improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological processes of aging, geroscience opens the door to exciting and innovative new pathways to address the major chronic diseases that affect older adults," AFAR Medical Officer Richard W. Besdine, MD, said. "We will need a determined effort, involving not only the medical and biological research communities, but public and private partners as well, to make the translational discoveries needed to help people live healthier, longer as they age."
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About AFAR. The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research. Founded in 1981, AFAR has championed the cause and supported the funding of science in healthier aging and age-related medicine. To address the shortage of physicians and researchers dedicated to the science of healthier aging, AFAR funds physicians and scientists probing the fundamental mechanisms of aging, as well as specific diseases associated with aging populations at critical points throughout their careers. Learn more at http://www.afar.org or follow AFARorg on Twitter and Facebook.
JAMA