January 2010, Volume 4, Number 1

News and Events

Announcing Pilot Grant Program Call for Proposals

We are pleased to announce the call for proposals for the Center's 2010 pilot grant program. The application deadline is March 31, 2010. The complete request for proposals with detailed application information may be downloaded from the Center's home page, http://aging.utah.edu

The Steering Committee and I are hoping to receive many high quality applications representing the full spectrum of the Center's disciplinary backgrounds. Please share this funding announcement with all faculty within your own departments and encourage interested faculty to submit an application.

SAVE THE DATE - Center on Aging Research Retreat March 9-10.

The CoA 2010 Research Retreat will be held on Tuesday, March 9 from 3:30 - 6 p.m., and Wednesday, March 10, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the Olpin Student Union Building. Timothy Smeeding, PhD, from the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, will present his keynote address "Policy Analysis and Entitlement Programs for Older Americans: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security" on Wednesday morning. A detailed schedule and more information will be posted at the CoA website as it becomes available.

A poster session and reception will occur on Tuesday afternoon. One of the important parts of the research retreat is the opportunity for Center on Aging faculty and your students to display their scholarship materials on poster boards and on display tables. The goal is to share and dialogue with others (faculty and community representatives) your scholarly work in the field of aging.

You (or your graduate student or trainee) are encouraged to contribute a poster for display during the poster session. A limited number of tables will also be provided for exhibit booths and for reprints, books, etc.

Please submit the following information to ginger.bair@hsc.utah.edu by February 19 to reserve your space at the poster session:

• Names of author/co-authors
• Title of your poster presentation
• Do you need table space for other materials?
• Do you wish to present more than one poster? (If space remains after the reservations are returned, it may be possible to accommodate more than one poster per faculty member. Please indicate that you have additional posters that you'd like to present and we will notify you if there is space to accommodate this request.)

Please go to http://aging.utah.edu for specific details regarding poster instructions and the itinerary.

U of U Investigators to Study Unexplained Anemia in Older Adults

University of Utah researchers have joined a national consortium of leading experts formed to investigate a perplexing problem that affects thousands of older U.S. adults: unexplained anemia.

Called The Partnership for Anemia: Clinical and Translational Trials in the Elderly (PACTTE), the consortium received a six-year, $16 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to conduct clinical trials and translational studies, with the goal of developing better treatments for unexplained anemia.

A study of this size and scope is long overdue, according to Josef T. Prchal, M.D., a U of U hematologist and professor of internal medicine, pathology, and genetics who chairs the consortium's Translational Committee. "The lack of information hematologists and geriatricians have about the underlying causes of unexplained anemia has been a major barrier for testing treatment strategies," said Prchal, also a member of the PACTTE steering committee. "Through the PACTTE consortium, we expect to make major progress in understanding and treating this condition, which affects a sizable number of people age 65 and older."

Neeraj Agarwal, M.D., the Utah clinical site principal investigator on the study, said unlocking the mysteries of unexplained anemia of the elderly will require learning about the disease at its most elemental level. "We hope to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying this disease," said Agarwal, a hematologist, geriatrician, and U of U assistant professor of internal medicine.

Other U of U faculty taking part in PACTTE are: Mark A. Supiano, M.D., a geriatrician, director of the Utah Center on Aging, and professor of internal medicine; and Gordon J. Chelune, Ph.D., professor of neurology.

Supiano and Chelune are members of the consortium's Outcomes Committee. Agarwal, in addition to being the Utah principal investigator, serves on the PACTTE steering committee. Dr. Supiano was interviewed about the study on Channel 4's "Good Things Utah" on January 20th.
For information about the PACTTE study call (801) 581-3707.

About our logo: The bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) the earth's oldest inhabitant with a life span of 4,000 years is found only in Utah and five other western states. Its extraordinary longevity and ability to adapt and survive in extremely harsh environmental conditions above 10,000 feet embodies the investigative spirit and mission of the Utah Center on Aging.

If you have questions about the University of Utah Center on Aging, please visit us online at http://aging.utah.edu 801-585-9540 or aging@hsc.utah.edu

Best,

Mark A. Supiano, MD
Executive Director - Center on Aging