Over the past three years, the Center has provided university research awards of up to $50,000 to faculty researchers across the Stanford campus. The projects were selected through a competitive process that was open to all Stanford faculty. The resulting proposals encompassed a wide range of solutions to improve life at all ages. True to their name, the seed grants were intended to allow researchers to initiate new areas of study that might not be fundable through traditional sources. The Center’s goal was that studies funded by these awards would lead to support from external sponsors or have tangible impacts in the private or public sector.
Blau and Santiago's third generation implantable pump
DRUG DELIVERY MICROPUMP FOR MUSCLE STEM CELL DELIVERY
Helen Blau – Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Professor of Pharmacology and Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology
Juan Santiago – Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Affiliates Blau and Santiago combined their expertise and a Center on Longevity seed grant to investigate how frequent but very tiny doses of stem cell regulator molecules might help older muscles heal more quickly, like younger ones. The study led them to develop a novel and extremely tiny implantable micropump that can deliver doses as small as 100 nanoliters. The device was successfully tested in laboratory mice. The work led to two patent applications and over $750,000 in follow-on funding from other sources.
A lab assistant demonstrates system
STEP BY STEP FALL PREVENTION
Tom Andriacchi – Professor of Mechanical Engineering and of Orthopaedic Surgery
Fall related injuries are a serious problem for older adults. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that more than one in three adults over 65 experience a fall every year and that falls are the leading cause of injury- related death in older adults. At the Stanford Biomotion Lab, Faculty Affiliate Tom Andriacchi and his team have approached this problem with technology- based solutions. Previous research has shown that falls are often preceded by development of a “gait asymmetry,” in which stride length and pace are not identical for both legs. Using seed grant funding from the Stanford Center on Longevity, the team developed a system that measures gait symmetry and provides biofeedback through a series of sounds. In the future, this system could be used to create an evaluation and rehabilitation program for patients who develop asymmetry as a result of various health conditions.
Sleep apnea may indirectly have a link to dementia through insulin resistance
SLEEP APNEA, INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND DEMENTIA
Ruth O’Hara – Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science
Researchers struggle to explain the causes of dementia, a condition that afflicts an estimated 3 of every 20 Americans over 65. Ruth O’Hara explored a correlation between sleep apnea (where breathing pauses during sleep) and dementia. With her seed grant, O’Hara and her team hypothesized that both sleep apnea and dementia are in fact a question of insulin resistance. Their findings support the theory that sleep apnea contributes to cognitive impairment indirectly, by increasing insulin resistance—which several studies link to dementia. By providing a clearer understanding of the actual roots of cognitive impairment, this research will contribute to a conclusive, long-term study that could suggest specific ways of reducing risk for dementia.
A time series of infra--red thermography images taken at 1 minute intervals show hand temperature rising (as indicated by the lighter colors)
THE MIND-BODY LINKAGES OF TAI CHI
Jessica Rose – Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Gary Glover – Professor of Radiology
Scott Atlas – Professor of Radiology and Senior Fellow at the FSI and the Hoover Institution
Faculty Affiliates Rose, Glover, and Atlas used their seed grant to develop a joint Stanford University-Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital study that examined the ability of highly-experienced tai-chi masters to control normally autonomous functions through concentration. In the study, three tai chi masters were asked to “focus their chi” on their hands. They were able to raise the temperature of the hands 2° C – something normally thought to be outside the sphere of conscious control. Further, the masters exhibited the ability to isolate the effect to one side of the body. Brain images were recorded during the testing and documented exceptionally well developed neural pathways within these masters. Studying the brains and physiological responses of tai chi masters may shed light on medical concerns as wide-ranging as pain management, musculoskeletal conditions, and chronic circulatory disorders.
MRI scan
THE EFFECTS OF “WHITE MATTER” IN THE BRAIN
Michael Greicius – Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Affiliate Mike Greicius used his Center on Longevity seed grant to explore a hypothesized series of connections between white matter lesions (or “hyperintensities”) in the brain and behavioral impairments. These lesions are small areas of altered brain tissue that appear in MRI scans and are more frequently noticed in the brains of older individuals. Greicius’ hypothesis suggests that white matter lesions may lead to disrupted structural connectivity within the brain along what are known as neural “tracks.” These disruptions could then lead to functional deficits, in turn contributing to behavioral impairments. Such declines in function are what many people commonly associate with old age. With his seed grant, Greicius demonstrated a compelling correlation between white matter and cognitive abilities within a small sample of subjects and developed better methods for tracking hyperintensities. These findings suggest a more comprehensive study is warranted.
Faculty Affiliates Kessler and Brady investigated how knowledge of the personal cost of healthcare reform affects consumers’ decisions to support specific reforms
HEALTH CARE REFORM – PUBLIC SUPPORT AND PERSONAL COSTS
Daniel Kessler – David S. and Ann M. Barlow Professor and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Professor, by Courtesy on Health Research Policy and Law
David Brady – Bowen H. & Janice Arthur McCoy Professor in Leadership Values; Professor of Political Science; Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution
Access to healthcare has been a hot topic in the news, but when the public is surveyed do they understand what health care access means for their personal finances? Faculty Affiliates Kessler and Brady investigated how knowledge of the personal cost of healthcare reform affects consumers’ decisions to support specific reforms. Kessler and Brady designed a survey that incorporated the respondents’ income level into a calculation that estimated the cost of reforms to that individual - described as an increase to their income tax. As a result, participants with higher income levels were asked to pay more for the reforms than lower income respondents, which is likely how actual reforms would be implemented. The results indicated that the public’s view of healthcare reform may be more nuanced than portrayed in the news. Knowledge of personal costs had a large affect on support for reforms, but some types of reforms still were favored by a majority.
