Project Grant R21AG103480

The National Institute on Aging awarded $660,000 to The General Hospital Corporation (doing business as Massachusetts General Hospital) on August 15, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to develop machine learning models for single-cell aging clocks that track aging trajectories across multiple organs and species.

The recipient will integrate large-scale, publicly available single-cell transcriptomics datasets from mouse, rat, human, and invertebrate aging models totaling millions of transcriptomes and generate new single-cell transcriptomics data across key mouse organs across the adult lifespan. Using nonlinear trajectory analysis and causal inference frameworks, the lab will identify regulatory dynamics of aging across organs and cell types. The work will perform comparative analyses of interventions including calorie restriction, exercise, and parabiosis to identify convergent and divergent mechanisms of rejuvenation. Building on these analyses, the recipient will develop a multi-level machine learning model that supports universal aging clocks with context-specific modifiers, expanding single-cell aging clock applications beyond the current limitation to mouse brain across additional organs and species.

Performance occurs in Boston, Massachusetts, with a period of performance from August 15, 2026, through July 31, 2029. The assistance type is Project Grant. This is an R21 exploratory/developmental grant (R21AG103480).