Genetics of Cardiac Disease in Centenarian Offspring
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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Centenarian children (c-children) offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the aging process. For the past four years Dr. Terry has done research on the differences between the children of centenarians (c-children) and a control group whose parents died at an average life expectancy. Preliminary results from Dr. Terry's work suggest that the c-children have a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes compared to controls. Given these differences and evidence regarding the familiality of longevity, Dr. Terry hypothesizes that the c-children are predisposed to longevity by delaying or avoiding cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. The first specific aim of this study is to compare the cardiovascular health of the c-children and controls whose parents died at an average life expectancy with disease prevalence measures, clinical measures of vascular function and stiffness, and measures of markers of inflammation. The second specific aim of this study is to determine whether polymorphisms in candidate genes related to cardiovascular disease differ between the two groups. While Dr. Terry's work initially involved phenotyping the two groups, it increasingly involves genetic analysis of the two groups, an area in which Dr. Terry has had little formal training. In order to become an independent research scientist in this field, Dr. Terry seeks support to take courses in genetic epidemiology and molecular genetics. She also proposes to spend 20% of her time working with Dr. Lindsay Farrer, the Chief of the Genetics Program at Boston University Medical Center, and his genetics team. In addition to learning genetic epidemiological research methodologies, Dr. Terry proposes to collaborate with Dr. Emelia Benjamin, Director of the Echocardiography Laboratory and the Vascular Testing Laboratory at the Framingham Heart Study, to advance her understanding of cardiovascular epidemiology. Finally she proposes to attend and present her data at national genetics, geriatrics, and cardiology meetings. The above activities will not only provide Dr. Terry with a greater knowledge of genetic and cardiovascular epidemiology but also the opportunity to collaborate with others in the field. Dr. Terry will use the knowledge gained from didactic instruction and mentored research experience in aging, genetic epidemiology, molecular genetics, and cardiovascular epidemiology to develop her career as an independent researcher in aging and genetic epidemiology. Her goal from the five years of career development proposed in this application is to gain the skills necessary to successfully direct the genetic epidemiological aspects of the NECS and eventually her own independently funded studies.
