Essential Skills Development in the Use of the Laboratory Mouse as a Model of Aging-Related Diseases

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY Advancing our understanding of aging and aging-related diseases requires experimental models that capture the systemic complexity of the living organism. The laboratory mouse is an indispensable in vivo model for aging research, critically important for replicating the multifactorial interactions among genetics, physiology, environment, and behavior that drive conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and immunosenescence. While in vitro systems are valuable for dissecting cellular mechanisms, they lack the full biological context of an intact immune system, vascular and metabolic networks, and the microenvironmental and behavioral dynamics critical for both basic and translational aging research. Whole-animal systems remain essential for modeling disease mechanisms, progression, and therapeutic responses across the lifespan. Despite the central importance of murine models in aging biology, few institutions offer immersive, hands-on training in their use— especially with a focus on aging-related diseases. To address this gap, The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) proposes an R13 program entitled Essential Skills Development in the Use of the Laboratory Mouse as a Model of Aging- Related Diseases. This initiative will deliver expert-led, three-day traveling workshops directly to partner institutions, combining foundational instruction in animal care and ethics with tailored, rigorous, hands-on training aligned with the host site’s research priorities. By eliminating costs to participants and host institutions and deploying experienced instructors with mobile equipment kits, the program removes major barriers to access. To achieve these objectives, the proposed Specific Aims are: 1. Collaborate with institutional partners to tailor the aging-related workshop content to local needs and optimize access for regional participants, and 2. Facilitate participant engagement, skills development and career progression through the delivery of high-quality, immersive, hands-on workshops at partner institutions that are focused on aging-related murine research models and techniques. JAX is uniquely positioned to execute these traveling workshops and the anticipated impact of this program is that it will expand national capacity for aging-focused basic and translational research by developing essential technical skills in early-career scientists and increase awareness of, and readiness to engage with, complex in vivo models of aging. This proposal supports NIA’s mission to foster workforce development and advance research into the biological mechanisms and clinical challenges of aging.