Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Pennsylvania received a $2.8 million Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866), effective February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2031. This award supports a continuation of a prior Program Project Grant (PPG) focused on epigenetics of aging and age-associated diseases. The research investigates two primary areas: chromostasis (homeostatic mechanisms that maintain dynamic chromatin stability) and regulation of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in senescent cells. The project builds upon previous findings demonstrating that age-associated epigenetic changes result from imperfect chromostasis and associated metabolic-epigenetic crosstalk, which lead to dysregulated chromatin remodeling.

The award funds continued scientific investigation into the hypothesis that age-associated epigenetic changes are a cause of aging. Specifically, the research examines how cytoplasmic chromatin fragments extruded from senescent cells activate the cGAS/STING/NF-κB innate immune pathway and drive SASP activation, with implications for understanding age-related pathology in long-lived, slowly dividing tissues such as liver and brain. This research advances the National Institute on Aging's mission to support biomedical research directed toward greater understanding of the aging process and age-related diseases, with particular emphasis on identifying prevention and treatment approaches for conditions affecting older adults.