New York, NY —The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), is pleased to announce a $16 million expansion of the Hevolution-AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research,
a grant program to enable early-career investigators with labs in the US and Canada to research healthspan-expanding therapeutics and treatments. Hevolution Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides grants and early-stage investments to incentivize research and entrepreneurship in healthspan science, has awarded the
AFAR $16 million to expand the program.
AFAR and the Hevolution Foundation launched the New Investigator Awards in 2022 as a pilot initiative to support research projects in the basic biology of aging or geroscience—a research paradigm based on addressing the biology of aging and age-related diseases to promote healthy aging. In its first cycle, the program generated strong interest in the global aging research community and funded 18 research projects, spanning topics such as cellular senescence, compounds such as metformin and rapamycin, and translational topics such as data-guided drug discovery.
Given the enthusiastic reception from the scientific community and the high quality of the investigators and their research, Hevolution is expanding this program with an additional commitment of $16 million to continue their partnership with AFAR. The funding will provide support in 2023 and 2024 for up to 36 investigators in Canada and the United States with three-year awards of $375,000 each.
"The Hevolution-AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience are vital to support the next generation of geroscience and aging biology researchers. Nurturing this young talent is crucial for the future advancement of novel gerotherapeutics to extend healthspan in line with our mission to provide grants and early-stage investments to incentivize independent research in the emerging field of healthspan science," states Felipe Sierra, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Hevolution Foundation.
The New Investigator Awards are selected through AFAR's vigorous review process led by a committee of accomplished scientists representing a wide range of expertise in biomedical research on aging. The New Investigator Awards selection committee is chaired by Gordon Lithgow, PhD, Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, who notes: "The New Investigator Awards meet a need in the field to better support early career investigators while addressing the unique impact of the biology of aging on the biology of age-related diseases."
Stephanie Lederman, EdM, Executive Director of AFAR shares: "Hevolution Foundation is providing much needed resources in order to build the human capital necessary to drive and advance the field. The unique approaches of the selected awardees will influence the future of healthspan research that is working to help us all live healthier, longer."
For more information on the Hevolution-AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience and all AFAR grant programs, please visit http://www.afar.org/funding-opportunities. Explore more perspectives from many of the inaugural New Investigators in AFAR’s Grantee Spotlight Interviews here.
AFAR anticipates announcing the 2023 New Investigators in early 2024.
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About AFAR
The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national non-profit organization that supports and advances pioneering biomedical research that is revolutionizing how we live healthier and longer. For more than four decades, AFAR has served as the field’s talent incubator, providing nearly $200 million to some 4,400 investigators at premier research institutions to date—and growing. In 2023, AFAR expects to provide approximately $12,500,000 to more than 60 investigators. A trusted leader and strategist, AFAR also works with public and private funders to steer high quality grant programs and interdisciplinary research networks. AFAR-funded researchers are finding that modifying basic cellular processes can delay—or even prevent—many chronic diseases, often at the same time. They are discovering that it is never too late—or too early—to improve health. This groundbreaking science is paving the way for innovative new therapies that promise to improve and extend our quality of life—at any age. Learn more at afar.org.
About Hevolution Foundation
Founded on the belief that every person has the right to live a longer, healthier life, Hevolution Foundation is a global catalyst, partner, and convener on a mission to drive efforts to extend healthy human lifespan and understand the processes of aging. With a focus on aging as a treatable process, Hevolution Foundation aims to increase the number of aging-related treatments on the market, compress the timeline of drug development, and increase accessibility to therapeutics that extend healthy lifespan, also known as healthspan. A global non-profit organization headquartered in Riyadh with a North American hub and an annual budget of up to $1 billion, Hevolution Foundation plans to open offices in other global locations to support a cutting-edge, global ecosystem of talent to propel aging and geroscience research forward and achieve medical breakthroughs to help humanity live healthier, longer. Connect with Hevolution Foundation on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and at hevolution.com