Authorizing Legislation: Section 301 and title IV of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.
Budget Authority:
This document provides justification for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 activities of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), including NIH/AIDS activities. Details of the FY 2008 HIV/AIDS activities are in the "Office of AIDS Research (OAR)" section of the Overview. Details on the Roadmap/Common Fund are located in the Overview, Volume One.
There are currently 35 million Americans over the age of 65. Of these, more than four million are over 85, and some 65,000 have attained their hundredth birthday. By 2030, the number of individuals age 65 and older will likely double, reaching 70.3 million and comprising a larger proportion of the entire population, rising from 13 percent today to 20 percent in 2030, and the number of the "oldest old" -- people age 85 and older -- is expected to grow from 4.3 million in 2000 to at least 19.4 million by 2050. 1
As life expectancy increases, we are challenged to find ways to keep the additional years of life free of disease and disability. Today, more than half of all Americans over age 65 show evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint.2 Over half of Americans older than 50 have osteoporosis or low bone mass.3 Cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes remain common among older Americans, and as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease (AD).4 For many, modern medicine and new insights into lifestyle and other environmental influences are allowing people to remain healthy and socially and emotionally vital into very advanced ages; however, NIA supported research continues to address the needs of the growing number of people who will live longer.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) leads a national scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life for all Americans. NIA achieves its mission through a robust extramural research program composed of the four research areas as described in the Budget Justification section plus a vibrant intramural research program.
NIA's research programs cover a wide range of topics critical to understanding aging and its interaction with the initiation and progression of disease and disability. For example, NIA research has identified lifestyle factors and health behaviors that directly influence physical and mental fitness and risk of disease in aging populations. NIA-supported scientists develop and refine recommendations for people of all ages regarding optimal diet, dietary supplement use, exercise, and safety to increase their likelihood of enjoying a physically and mentally healthy old age. Other researchers work to find better ways to enhance the physical, mental, and interpersonal capabilities of older people and to expand opportunities for them to achieve personal goals and contribute to society in meaningful ways. Still others explore the molecular, cellular, and genetic changes that take place in the body as we age, with the ultimate goal of developing new prevention strategies and novel therapeutic approaches to eliminate or delay the debilitating physical, cognitive, and psychological changes that can occur.
As the research on aging advances, NIA will focus more effort on the translation of basic research findings into clinical studies and trials. The institute supports large multidisciplinary programs in translational research, including:
Additional translational research efforts include:
NIA's Intramural Research Program is very active in the translation of basic research findings to clinical studies. One of its primary resources, the Advanced Studies in Translational Research on Aging (ASTRA) unit, is a state-of-the-art facility located at Baltimore's Harbor Hospital. ASTRA, opened in January 2003, is equipped with a fully functional 10-bed acute care inpatient unit, an outpatient examination and treatment unit, and other resources vital to the conduct of translational research. Recently, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, which has been the gold-standard reference for all epidemiological studies on aging, was moved to the ASTRA unit where NIA plans to launch a number of ancillary studies that are more likely to provide information that can be directly applied to clinical medicine.
Investigator-initiated research projects and new investigator research and career development are the Institute's highest priorities. In order to maximize the number of competing research project grants that can be made, NIA has a cap on the amount that can be awarded to individual program project awards and is following the NIH policy in providing no inflationary increases for non-competing or competing grants. In addition, the NIA has targeted a portion of the funds available for competing research project grants to support high priority projects outside of the payline, including awards to new investigators and first-time renewals. The Institute also seeks to maintain a balance between solicitations issued to the extramural community in areas that need stimulation and funding made available to support investigator-initiated projects.
Investigators supported by NIA's Biology of Aging Program (BAP) seek to better understand the basic biochemical, genetic, and physiological mechanisms that underlie the process of aging and age-related changes in humans and in animal models. BAP supports research on age-related changes in structure and function, from the molecular and cellular level to entire organisms, as well as the ways in which these changes are related to diseases and conditions common to aging. This program supports integrated research on genetics and other aspects of aging-related changes in multiple model systems, including both mammals and non-mammalian organisms (e.g. flies, worms, and yeast).
Budget Policy: The 2008 budget estimate for the Biology of Aging Program is $175,672,000, an increase of $72,000 or 0.04 percent from the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution of $175,600,000. Program objectives for FY 2008 include plans to:
NIA Behavioral and Social Research Program (BSR) supports social and behavioral research to better understand the processes of aging at both the individual and societal level. Research areas include the behavioral, emotional, and social changes individuals undergo throughout the adult lifespan; interrelationships between older people and social institutions; and the societal impact of the changing age composition of the population. BSR also supports research training, development of research resources, and a knowledge base for the development of interventions to maximize active life and health expectancy.
Budget Policy: The 2008 budget estimate for the Behavioral and Social Research Program is $168,850,000, an increase of $70,000 or 0.04 percent from the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution of $168,780,000. Program plans for FY 2008 are to:
NIA's Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging (NNA) Program supports a broad spectrum of research and training aimed at better understanding age-related normal and pathological changes in the structure and function of the nervous system and how such changes affect behavior. The basic mission is to expand knowledge on the aging nervous system to allow improvement in the quality of life of older people. This includes basic and clinical studies of the nervous system, clinical trials of treatments and preventive interventions for neurological disease, and epidemiological research to identify risk factors and to establish prevalence and incidence estimates of pathologic conditions. Additionally, it supports research relevant to those geriatric problems arising from psychiatric and neurologic disorders associated with aging.
Budget Policy: The 2008 budget estimate for Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program is $413,131,000, an increase of $171,000 or 0.04 percent from the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution of $412,960,000. Program plans for FY 2008 are to:
Program Portrait: Alzheimer's Disease Research FY 2007 level: $503,160,000FY 2008 level: $503,660,000Change: $ 500,000
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older. Scientists estimate that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer with the disease, and this number is expected to increase almost three-fold by 2050.5 Research into the causes, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of AD is a major priority for the National Institute on Aging (NIA). In fact, since its inception in 1974, NIA has dedicated the majority of its research budget to the study of AD and AD-related processes.
NIA supports AD-related research through both investigator-initiated projects and targeted initiatives such as the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a five-year study that is the most comprehensive effort to date to identify brain and other biological changes associated with memory decline. The goal of the AD Genetics Initiative advances the search for genes associated with AD. A large, widely-available bank of genetic material, cell lines, and data from families with multiple members with late-onset AD has accelerated NIA's efforts to identify these genes. Discovery of risk factor genes will help illuminate the underlying disease processes of AD, open up novel areas of research, and identify new targets for drug therapy. NIA also launched a major AD drug discovery effort, complemented by a pilot clinical trials program. This research initiative seeks to stimulate preclinical research in the discovery, design, development and testing of novel compounds aimed at slowing, halting, or even reversing the progressive decline in cognitive function and modifying the behavioral symptoms in
Alzheimer's disease as well as delaying the onset of or preventing AD. In addition, the institute currently supports some 25 AD clinical trials. Finally, NIA facilitates the dissemination of the latest information about AD through its Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) center, which has provided accurate, up-to-date information concerning AD to health professionals, people with AD and their families, and the general public since 1990. These activities, along with NIA's ongoing program of investigator-initiated research in AD, will continue through FY 2008.
In October 2006, NIA held a major scientific meeting to discuss future directions for the NIH Alzheimer's disease research agenda, with particular attention to research issues that need to be addressed in order to improve diagnosis and treatment of AD. This meeting brought together internationally-recognized experts in the field, and the results will inform NIA's research agenda in AD over the next few years.
As we age, our risk for many other types of disease and/or disability increases dramatically. NIA's Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (GCG) Program supports research on health, disease, and disability in the aged (other than neurodegeneration, which is the focus of the NNA Program). Areas of focus include age-related physical changes and their relationship to health outcomes, the maintenance of health and the development of disease, and specific age-related risk factors for disease. The program also plans and administers clinical trials.
Budget Policy: The 2008 budget estimate for the Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology Program is $135,148,000, an increase of $55,000 or 0.04 percent from the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution of $135,093,000. Program objectives for FY 2008 include plans to:
NIA's Intramural Research Program (IRP) includes the scientific disciplines of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, structural biology, genetics, immunology, neurogenetics, behavioral sciences (psychology, cognition, and psychophysiology), epidemiology, statistics, and clinical research and the medical disciplines of neurobiology, immunology, endocrinology, cardiology, rheumatology, hematology, oncology, and gerontology. The program seeks to understand the changes associated with healthy aging and to define the criteria for evaluating when a change becomes pathologic. Studies focus on both common age-related diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, diabetes, cancer) and the determinants of healthy aging.
In 2008, NIA's IRP will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, America's longest-running scientific study of human aging. More than 1,400 men and women, ranging in age from the 20s to the 90s, have been study volunteers. Since its inception in 1958, the BLSA has generated numerous findings to elucidate the normal course of aging and disentangle the effects of disease from the normal aging process.
Budget Policy: The 2008 budget estimate for NIA's Intramural Research Program is $101,370,000, a decrease of $710,000 or 0.7 percent from the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution of $102,080,000. Program objectives for FY 2008 include plans to:
NIA RMS activities provide administrative, budgetary, logistical, and scientific support in the review, award, and monitoring of research grants, training awards and research and development contracts. RMS functions also encompass strategic planning, coordination, and evaluation of the Institute's programs, regulatory compliance, international coordination, and liaison with other Federal agencies, Congress, and the public. The Institute currently oversees more than 1,840 research project grants and centers, as well as more than 500 full-time training positions and 100 research and support contracts.
Budget Policy: The 2008 budget estimate for NIA's Research Management and Support is $39,194,000, an increase of $388,000 or 1.0 percent over the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution of $38,806,000. Additional funds will be used to partially offset the costs associated with pay raises and other mandatory increases.
2 See "Handout on Health: Osteoarthritis," National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, July 2002.
3 See America's Bone Health: The State of Osteoporosis and Low Bone Mass in Our Nation. National Osteoporosis Foundation, February 2002.
4 Hebert LE et al.: Alzheimer disease in the U.S. population: Prevalence estimates using the 2000 Census. Arch. Neurol. 60: 1119-22, 2003.
5 Hebert, op. cit.
(Click on the footnote number to return to the text.)
<<Previous section | Table of Contents | Next section>>
| Disclaimer | Accessibility | Policies | Contact Us | FOIA | Site Map