The Role of the National Institute on Aging in the Development of the Field of Geroscience

The conceptualization of the field of geroscience, which began about 10 years ago, marks, together with the publication of The hallmarks of aging (see Lopez-Otin C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, Serrano M, Kroemer G. Cell 153: 1194-1217, 2013), a significant watershed in the development of aging research. Based on a very simple and commonly accepted premise, namely, that aging biology is at the core the most significant risk factor for all chronic diseases affecting the elderly, geroscience became possible because of earlier significant developments in the field of aging biology. Here we describe the origins of the concept, as well as its current status in the field. The principles of geroscience provide an important new biomedical perspective and have spawned a significantly increased interest in aging biology within the larger biomedical scientific community.

Automated summary

The development of geroscience has marked a significant milestone in aging research, emphasizing the importance of aging biology in chronic diseases affecting the elderly. It has sparked increased interest in aging biology within the biomedical scientific community.