American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)

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The Science of Healthier Aging
For 28 years, the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) has supported the science of healthier aging. AFAR has played a major role in providing and advancing knowledge of aging and mechanisms of age-related disease by providing grants to more than 2,600 talented scientists. Because of limited dollars in support of aging research, America loses many great minds from the study of aging to disease-focused research and many are leaving research altogether. AFAR provides one of our country's most successful responses to this brain drain.
In keeping with the dual needs in aging research, AFAR funds scientists in two ways. AFAR uniquely focuses on scientists studying the fundamental mechanisms of aging. With the grants and support provided by AFAR, America is developing the cadre of scientists it needs to explore aging and provide the answers we so desperately need. With AFAR's support, early-career scientists from the nation's leading academic institutions are making the study of aging — in all of its facets — their life's work.
AFAR also assures that those working within disease-specific specialties explore the importance of aging within those specialties. In this way, AFAR assures that there will be scientists studying how aging underlies the conditions so common in late life in every area including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, and pharmacology.
AFAR has supported many researchers who have gone on to become leaders in their fields. AFAR bridges the gap and has a proven track record of recognizing potential success in early-career scientists in the field of aging. As one vitally important measure of AFAR's success, 90% of its grantees go on to get federal funding after their AFAR Research Grant. That is a remarkable achievement, because the federal funding rate for young investigators is now less than 12%. Since that rate is likely to fall even lower, the necessity for AFAR funding will become even more critical. AFAR grants create a funding track record, allowing researchers to obtain funding from additional sources, mainly federal, private and corporate.
The scientists that AFAR has supported have contributed scientific findings of great importance that are already dramatically changing both our understanding and practice of medicine. Many of our grantees from a decade or more ago are now mentors to the next generation. To read more about AFAR grantees who are now leaders in the field, see: http://websites.afar.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AFAR_Synopses

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