RICERCA ITALIANA     

Center of Excellence on Aging

Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara

Abstract

By 2010, more than one in five Italians will be 65 years or older. We intend to establish a Center of Excellence on Aging (CEA) with the aim of focusing multidisciplinary research efforts at our Institution on the aging process. Three main areas will be targeted at CEA: cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Within each area, there is clearly a need for early diagnosis thus allowing a tolerable and successful treatment, as well as a need for a better mechanistic understanding leading to the development of novel treatment paradigms. We plan to pursue both objectives by integrating basic and clinical research into a 13.500 m2 dedicated research building (CE.SI). In the cardiovascular area, we will study age-related mechanisms amplifying the effects of other risk factors (eg hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus) on the determinants of atherothrombosis and its complications. In the cancer field, we will study the molecular mechanisms controlling cell proliferation, aging and apoptosis in cancer cells. Moreover, we will explore the potential of non-specific and specific immunity to block the progression of mammary, prostatic, colonic and pleuro-pulmonary carcinogenesis. The expertise developed in the cardiovascular field will also be exploited to investigate the role of platelet activation, oxidant stress and chronic inflammation in Alzheimer's disease. Novel experimental models (including stem cell expansion and transplant), molecular>>>

Principal Investigator

Carlo PATRONO Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" CHIETI-PESCARA

International Relationship

Investigators working at the Center of Excellence on Aging (CEA) have scientific collaborations with major Research Institutions including: Consorzio "Mario Negri" Sud, Catholic University of Rome, Univ of Bologna, Milan, Perugia, Rome and Torino, National Institute of Health (Rome), European Institute of Oncology (Milan), National Cancer Institute (Milan), IRCS "C. Besta" (Milan), University of Pennsylvania (Drs. G.A. FitzGerald, F. Catella-Lawson, Dr. C. Funk), University of Utah (Dr. S.M. Prescott), INSERM U-348, Paris (Dr. A. Habib), University Hospital Rotterdam (Prof. P.J. Koudstaal), Columbia University (Dr. A.M. Schmidt), University of Saarland, Germany (Dr. U. Sahin), Genetic Institute, Andover, MA (Dr. S. Wolf), Human Genome Sciences, Rockville, MD (Dr. S. Giri), National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD ( Dr. Robert Callahan), University of Maryland at Baltimore, MD (Dr. R.C. Gallo), VA Medical Center Boise ID, (Dr. R.D. Olson), INSERM "La Salpetrière" Paris (Prof. Y. Agid), Neurology Institute, National Hospital London (Prof. A. Lees, Dr. C. Bathia), The Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Prof. W. Olanow), NIH Bethesda (Prof. M Hallett, Prof. J. Guralnick), Neurology Institute National Hospital London (Prof. Scaravilli), Department of Neuroimmunology Vienna (Prof. H. Lassmann), NY Medical College, Valhalla NY (Dr. N.G. Abraham, Prof. J. McGiff), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX (Dr. R. De Fronzo), Brigham and Women's Hospital>>>

Research Objectives

The strategic objective of the Center of Excellence on Aging (CEA) is to promote multidisciplinary research within the University of Chieti (in collaboration with a research network and industrial partners, as detailed at 2.4) in three main therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Each area will be targeted with aging-related research projects, by integrating basic and clinical research into a 13.500 m2 dedicated research building (CE.SI) built with a $28.5 million grant to MURST for the University of Chieti through law 64. CE.SI has 4.400 m2 of basic research labs, 4.400 m2 of clinical research space including a General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) with 30 beds and 4.700 m2 of centralized facilities and administrative offices. CE.SI is endowed with approx $11 million worth of state-of-the-art instruments and special equipment, including core facilities [eg gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) lab]. CE.SI is interfaced with the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technology (ITAB) and with the University Hospital within the same Campus. ITAB is a 5.000 m2 core facility cofunded by the University of Chieti and the European Union and devoted to basic and clinical research on imaging. Research space within CE.SI has been allocated on a competitive basis to basic and clinical Research Groups working or recently recruited to the University of Chieti, with the aim of focusing multidisciplinary research efforts on the aging>>>