This is an IRB-approved multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional project involving undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from the UNE Biology Department (Principal Investigator: Silvia E. Smith, PhD; postgraduate student Amanda Masse, BS; and Med Bio undergraduate students Emily Birdsall and Samantha Blau), the Center for Excellence in Aging and Health (Co-Investigator: Thomas Meuser, Ph.D), the College of Medicine (Co-Investigators: second year COM medical students Andrew Egan, BS; Rachel Bengart, BS; and Dan Thai, BS) and Maine Medical Center Research Institute (Collaborator: Volkhard Lindner, MD, Ph.D).
The study aims to characterize the role of inflammation in aging by assaying inflammatory biomarkers such as the Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 (CTHRC1) in plasma from a geriatric population. We have currently enrolled 40 participants from the Legacy Scholar Cohort, which engages interested local adults, aged 60+ years, in support of research and scholarship on healthful aging. We will continue to enroll Legacy Scholars for the rest of the summer and will begin plasma analysis in the Fall/Winter.
For more information please contact the study PI:
Silvia E. Smith, Ph.D.
Biology Department
University of New England
11 Hills Beach Road
Biddeford, Maine 04005
Phone: 207-602-2233