Brown gets $37 million grant for research on aging

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Edited from a New England Council report

Brown University and Brown University Health, in Providence, recently received a $37 million gift from the Starr Foundation to advance and expand clinical trials, treatments, and research on aging. The funding goes towards research at Brown’s Center on the Biology of Aging, with clinical trials and treatments across Brown University Health, Rhode Island’s largest health-care system.

The five-year gift will establish two endowed faculty positions in geroscience at Brown University, focused on studying the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging with the goal of increasing the number of years people live in good health. The Starr Foundation’s Healthspan Innovation Alliance bridges the gap between Brown University with Brown University Health; the health system currently conducts about 500 clinical trials in Rhode Island, with about two-thirds focused on aging and aging-associated disorders.

“By uniting world-class science at Brown with clinical care across the Brown University Health system, we can translate cutting-edge research into life-changing treatments for devastating conditions like cancer and dementia,” said Brown University President Christina H. Paxson.