A leap in longevity? The future of aging research in the United States

Over three million Americans died in 2023, mostly due to age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. Most research of these maladies takes a disease-centric approach; that is, researchers consider their causes and treatments to be distinct and somewhat independent. However, an alternative known as the geroscience approach posits that aging can be a distinct biological phenomenon upstream of age-related diseases that can be targeted to prevent many of them simultaneously. In this review, we examine the relative scientific merits of each approach and analyze their current role in the landscape of U.S. biological research funding. Finally, we highlight future research funding opportunities for the prevention of age-related diseases and the extension of healthy lifespan in humans.