Aging Biology Foundation EU and the US, together with co-investors, provide financing mainly for the projects that aim to advance a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of healthy human aging and, since recently, the fundamental epigenetic mechanisms.
In particular, we are very interested in joint projects with researchers who have access to genetic, epigenetic, biochemical, clinical data, blood and tissue samples for
While the foundation continues supporting the current projects on healthy human aging, funders’ focus has been shifting towards research on fundamental epigenetic mechanisms, primarily in mammals.
Epigenetics, as a field of biology that studies how gene expression is regulated without altering the underlying DNA sequence, is essential for understanding various biological processes, including aging, cellular differentiation, brain development and function, embryogenesis, and many others.
However, despite numerous discoveries, the fundamental mechanisms of epigenetic regulation remain largely unknown. By studying these basic mechanisms in detail, we can get insight into how epigenetic modifications regulate gene activity, define cellular identity, and influence cellular functions in the context of normal and pathological changes in the organism. This will significantly advance our understanding of fundamental biological processes such as embryogenesis, cellular differentiation, aging, etc.
Therefore, in addition to supporting studies of the fundamental mechanisms of human aging, ABF is interested in funding research on the fundamental mechanisms of epigenetics. Of particular interest is the direction of site-specific de novo epigenetic modifications. For example, how does de novo methylation occur at particular DNA sequences during cell specialization or under the influence of the environment, while similar sequences elsewhere remain unaffected? Or what role do specific DNA regions or particular molecules play in this specificity, e.g., how certain DNA motifs, transcription factors, long non-coding RNA, etc. interact in these processes to produce this effect? The foundation is primarily interested in projects investigating epigenetic mechanisms in mammals.
Collaborative grants with different laboratories are possible.
We invite you to initially submit a 1–2 page description of your research idea and methods, including an estimated timeline and project budget, via email to grants@agingbiology.org. If the brief description seems interesting to us, we will invite you to submit a full grant proposal.
Who can apply:
A necessary condition is access to the infrastructure required for the successful implementation of the project. For bioinformaticians involved in the projects analyzing already collected data this condition is optional.
The grant amount is a subject of the proposed scope of work and can vary from $50.000 up to $8.000.000
The grant period: from 6 months up to 5 years.
How to apply:
Please, send us your grant application at grants@agingbiology.org
You are welcome to submit your grant proposal at any time; there are no deadlines. We also don’t have any specific requirements for the length or formatting of the grant proposal.
The grant application should consist of a research proposal, and commitment letters from the primary applicant’s organization and from each collaborator’s or subcontractor’s organization acknowledging and accepting the Foundation Grant Principles and Indirect Cost Guidance