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Texas
takes center stage
in research on aging matters
What is described as a “world class research complex”
dedicated to the study of aging and healthy longevity has announced
plans to add a new $50 million building, according to the San Antonio
Express-News.
The
University of Texas Health Science Center’s Aging Research &
Education Center already has under construction a $19 million building
to house the Sam and Ann Barshop Center for Longevity and Aging Studies.
It is also rapidly establishing itself as a leader in aging research.
"When
we got the first building under way, we realized we were already
starting to outgrow it," said Dr. Arlan Richardson, professor of
physiology at UTHSC and director of the Aging and Research Education
Center, as well as, the Sam and Ann Barshop Center for Longevity and
Aging Studies.
“We
are so proud that our Health Science Center leads the nation’s medical
centers in the number of National Institute on Aging grants received,”
President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D, said. “The Barshop Center
promises to provide longer, healthier, more prosperous lives for many of
us here today, and also for our grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.”
Francisco
G. Cigarroa, M.D, the third president of The University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio, is a nationally renowned pediatric and
transplant surgeon who was educated at Yale, Harvard and Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Cigarroa is the first Hispanic in the United States to lead a health
science university.
This
rapidly developing center for aging research is located in the Texas
Research Park on the Southwest side of San Antonio. Construction got
underway in February for the Barshop Center.
“We
know that calorie-restricted animals live longer and have a better
quality of life,” said Dr. Richardson, “With that understanding, we
are looking for the genes in humans that extend life and help people
live healthier lives.”
Dr.
Richardson also directs the Nathan Shock Center and is a Career
Scientist with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. He is the
initial holder of the Methodist Hospital Foundation Chair in Aging
Studies and Research.
U.S.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the keynote speaker at the February
groundbreaking, said “One of my top priorities in the Senate has been
to highlight the centers of excellence in our Texas institutions and
make sure they get the prominence and funding they so richly deserve,”
Sen. Hutchison said. “The hard work, dedication and breakthrough
research of Texas’ campuses is really putting Texas on the map.”
The
U.S. Census Bureau expects the number of senior citizens to double by
2050, when seniors will make up more than 20 percent of the population.
The
state of Texas estimates seniors soon will constitute about 30 percent
of San Antonio’s population. This fast-growing segment of the
population will have a major economic impact on the public and private
sectors, particularly in areas of health care.
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