It is well established that mitochondria play multiple critical roles including providing cellular energy, regulating apoptosis, and maintaining oxidative balance. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of aging, chronic disease, and neurodegeneration. The purpose of this newly funded research program (NIH-R01AG027060) is to develop a comprehensive Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) brain atlas of acquired mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations (heteroplasmy) across multiple brain regions and in blood from autopsy samples collected from the 50+ year Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program/Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study cohort of American men of Japanese ancestry. Identifying brain and blood heteroplasmy in a longitudinal cohort will advance the discovery of disease mechanisms related to early AD/ADRD diagnosis, neuropathology, and cognitive decline.
SAN FRANCISCO – Sutter Health announced today researchers at its Sequoia Center for the Science of Aging will receive $21 million from a $67.7 million grant awarded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The remaining $46.7 million will be distributed among other partner organizations. This funding supports continuation of the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (SOMMA), which explores the biological processes behind aging and the mobility challenges that come with it.
SOMMA, one of the largest international, multi-site studies of its kind, was the first to discover how biological changes in our cells impact aging. The study’s goal is to find ways to help us preserve strength and physical independence as we age.
See full announcement from Sutter Health
Dr. Katie Stone is co-Investigator on a project recently funded by Eli Lilly (Rashon Lane, PI) titled “Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in Primary Care Clinics”. Research suggests that up to 90% of individuals with OSA are undiagnosed. Among Sutter Health patients, only 2% of patients with underlying risk factors for OSA are provided a referral to sleep medicine specialty clinics and most patients are referred from non-primary care clinics (e.g., cardiology, pulmonary). The objectives of this 18-month mixed methods quality improvement project are to 1) assess the barriers and facilitators in screening for OSA in Sutter primary care settings through use of clinician interviews and focus groups; 2) conduct a pilot intervention for OSA screening in five Sutter primary care clinics. The EHR will be utilized to identify patients at high risk for OSA, and feasibility of home sleep apnea testing administered in primary care practices will be evaluated.
Aging Cohorts: Resources for Translational Geroscience
The cellular bases of mobility from the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).
Cummings SR, Coen PM, Ferrucci L.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14129. doi: 10.1111/acel.14129. Epub 2024 Mar 1.
PMID: 38429931; PMCID: PMC11166358.
Associations between skeletal muscle energetics and accelerometry-based performance fatigability: Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging.
Qiao YS, Santanasto AJ, Coen PM, Cawthon PM, Cummings SR, Forman DE, Goodpaster BH, Harezlak J, Hawkins M, Kritchevsky SB, Nicklas BJ, Toledo FGS, Toto PE, Newman AB, Glynn NW.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14015. doi: 10.1111/acel.14015. Epub 2023 Oct 16.
PMID: 37843879; PMCID: PMC11166367.
The association between chrononutrition behaviors and muscle health among older adults: The study of muscle, mobility and aging.
Mao Z, Cawthon PM, Kritchevsky SB, Toledo FGS, Esser KA, Erickson ML, Newman AB, Farsijani S.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14059. doi: 10.1111/acel.14059. Epub 2023 Dec 7.
PMID: 38059319; PMCID: PMC11166361.
Signatures of cysteine oxidation on muscle structural and contractile proteins are associated with physical performance and muscle function in older adults: Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).
Day NJ, Kelly SS, Lui LY, Mansfield TA, Gaffrey MJ, Trejo JB, Sagendorf TJ, Attah IK, Moore RJ, Douglas CM, Newman AB, Kritchevsky SB, Kramer PA, Marcinek DJ, Coen PM, Goodpaster BH, Hepple RT, Cawthon PM, Petyuk VA, Esser KA, Qian WJ, Cummings SR.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14094. doi: 10.1111/acel.14094. Epub 2024 Feb 8.
PMID: 38332629; PMCID: PMC11166363.
Expression of mitochondrial oxidative stress response genes in muscle is associated with mitochondrial respiration, physical performance, and muscle mass in the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging.
Tranah GJ, Barnes HN, Cawthon PM, Coen PM, Esser KA, Hepple RT, Huo Z, Kramer PA, Toledo FGS, Zhang X, Wu K, Wolff CA, Evans DS, Cummings SR.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14114. doi: 10.1111/acel.14114. Epub 2024 Jun 3.
PMID: 38831629; PMCID: PMC11166362.
Higher expression of denervation-responsive genes is negatively associated with muscle volume and performance traits in the study of muscle, mobility, and aging (SOMMA).
Lukasiewicz CJ, Tranah GJ, Evans DS, Coen PM, Barnes HN, Huo Z, Esser KA, Zhang X, Wolff C, Wu K, Lane NE, Kritchevsky SB, Newman AB, Cummings SR, Cawthon PM, Hepple RT.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14115. doi: 10.1111/acel.14115. Epub 2024 Jun 3.
PMID: 38831622; PMCID: PMC11166368.
Autophagy gene expression in skeletal muscle of older individuals is associated with physical performance, muscle volume and mitochondrial function in the study of muscle, mobility and aging (SOMMA).
Coen PM, Huo Z, Tranah GJ, Barnes HN, Zhang X, Wolff CA, Wu K, Cawthon PM, Hepple RT, Toledo FGS, Evans DS, Santiago-Fernández O, Cuervo AM, Kritchevsky SB, Newman AB, Cummings SR, Esser KA.
Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14118. doi: 10.1111/acel.14118. Epub 2024 Apr 16.
PMID: 38627910; PMCID: PMC11166359.
Access the full issue here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1474-9726.aging-cohorts
From National Geographic - Mobility is key to staying healthy and independent as you age. We asked experts to weigh in on how to do it right—and when to start thinking about it.
Walking might seem simple. But it’s not, explains epidemiologist Peggy Cawthon, science director of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. It’s an amazingly complex behavior that continues to baffle researchers, especially ones trying to understand how to improve our lives as we age.
“For reasons we don’t understand, the speed you walk is related to your risk of dying,” she says. Folks who can keep up the pace are likely to stick around longer. And they’re likely to live better. Lack of mobility is one of the top reasons that seniors lose independence, according to the National Institute on Aging, and it’s also closely linked to cognitive decline.
Read the full article online at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/mobility-walking-health-exercise-technique
From Vitals Sutter Health – Helping Older Adults Live Independently, Longer and Healthier - Dr. Steve Cummings, director of Sutter’s San Francisco Coordinating Center and its Sequoia Center for the Science of Aging continues his work to curb the incidence of age-related illness by pursing longevity research. “Aging is a strong risk factor for chronic diseases such as cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” says Dr. Cummings. One of his studies is SOMMA (the Study of Muscle Mobility and Aging), the first study to examine human cells to discover what biological changes lead to loss of muscle mass and physical disability. “We hope this large study will uncover ways to help older adults maintain physical independence as they age,” says Dr. Cummings. As the study continues, what can older adults do to preserve physical strength? Dr. Cummings says the best strategies include regular physical activity, modest weight-bearing or resistance training and ensuring adequate daily intake of protein."
Read the full annoucement online at Vitals Sutter Health.
It is unknown whether muscle mass measured by the D3-creatine dilution method is a superior predictor of incident mobility disability than traditional components of sarcopenia definitions (including grip strength, walking speed, appendicular lean mass). The objective of this study was to determine the relative importance of strength; physical performance; and lean, fat, and muscle mass in predicting incident mobility disability in older men.
Link to Pubmed:
Improving Care for Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Researchers at Sutter Health’s San Francisco Coordinating Center to lead a national study to test whether a simple, home-based approach may prevent fractures
Older patients with Parkinson’s disease often suffer from a very high risk of falls, and may experience disabling fractures. Research has not shown whether drug treatments for the prevention of osteoporosis (such as zoledronic acid) could also prevent fractures in such affected individuals.
Researchers at the San Francisco Coordinating Center (SFCC) designed the “Trial of Parkinson’s and Zoledronic Acid”(TOPAZ) study to answer that question. They lead a nationwide team including neurologists and bone disease experts from UC San Francisco (UCSF), the Parkinson’s Foundation, Duke University, and others in a trial to test the effectiveness of zoledronic acid, a medication whose benefits for bone last at least two years after one intravenous treatment.
“There are few treatments for Parkinson’s disease, but TOPAZ could show how a simple treatment given at home could prevent one of the most important causes of disability and death in these patients,” said Steve Cummings, M.D., Director of SFCC and a lead investigator of TOPAZ. Dr. Cummings also noted that TOPAZ is the first of study of its kind nationwide.
“Fractures can result in a loss of independence, so it’s important to find ways to prevent them, particularly in this group of patients,” said Parkinson’s disease expert, Caroline Tanner, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neurology at UCSF and a lead investigator of TOPAZ. “We hope this study will provide us with some answers.”
“Patients with Parkinson’s disease have difficulty traveling to clinics for care. Our goal is to test if we can bring the evaluation and treatment to their home making it easier for them to reduce their risk of disabling fractures,” said Kenneth W. Lyles, MD, Senior Fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke University, TOPAZ lead investigator at Duke, and world expert on zoledronic acid.
The TOPAZ study seeks to enroll 3,500 patients with Parkinson’s disease who are 65 years or older.
Neurologists who are specialists in Parkinson’s disease may conduct a video interview with the patient to confirm the diagnosis. A study nurse will check patients to confirm that treatment with zoledronic acid would be safe, and once confirmed, will then give zoledronic acid or placebo intravenously. Patients will be contacted every four months for at least two years about whether they have had a fracture.
The five-year, $30 million study is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, part of the U.S. National Institute of Health.
Nearly 800,000 Americans age 65 or older have Parkinson’s disease—a brain illness that causes slow loss of control of movements, walking and balance, increased risk of falling, and decreased cognitive functions. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but TOPAZ could show that one treatment could prevent a disabling consequence of the illness.
From the Sutter Health News Room – "Until now, research on aging and how to preserve independence as we age has come almost entirely from mice, worms, and flies, or human studies of blood specimens. Researchers at Sutter Health’s San Francisco Coordinating Center (SFCC) are launching a breakthrough study—the Study of Muscle Mobility and Aging (SOMMA)—to understand the biology of human aging and how it influences people’s ability to remain independent. SOMMA is the first study of its kind in the U.S."
Read the full annoucement online at Sutter News Room.
The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study, a study of healthy aging with a focus on osteoporosis and fractures in 5,994 older men 65 years and older, has released over 16 years of prospective data on MrOS Online https://mrosonline.ucsf.edu/.
MrOS Online provides data, documentation, and study procedures from the multi-center MrOS Study. With over 41,000 variables across seven time points, the MrOS Online database includes:
- Assessment of falls, fractures, and mortality
- Performance tests and lifestyle questionnaires
- Objective and subjective measures of physical activity
- Data from x-ray images, DXA, QCT, and HRpQCT scans
- Objective and subjective sleep data from the MrOS Sleep ancillary study (n=3,135)
- Tracking of cardiovascular events from the MrOS Sleep ancillary study
- Oral health assessments from the MrOS Dental ancillary visit (n=1,353)
- Biospecimen data, including serum chemistry, hormones, and cytokines
The online database is available to the public and anyone who registers and accepts the terms of an online data use agreement can download or explore study data. Please note that only a subset of datasets from the MrOS archives are currently available online. Additional datasets will be publicly released in the near future.
The NIA blog/announcement can be found here: