Digital tools to study aging and function in older cancer survivors
Official title: The Pacific Aging and Cancer Studies (PACS): An Infrastructure Advancing the Use of Digital Biomarkers and Related Technologies for Research on Functional Aging and Survivorship in Cancer
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11375184 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aging and cancer researchers are building a new infrastructure to use digital devices to track how older cancer survivors’ function changes over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | May 4, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $646,183 |
| NIH project number | 5R33CA280994-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11375184 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults (65+) who have survived cancer and may experience aging-related changes in function.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to digital devices or who have limited ability to participate in long-term monitoring may not benefit from this infrastructure.
What this research studies
This grant supports creating and expanding digital technology tools, like wearables and passive sensors, to capture long-term, multi-dimensional data on how aging and cancer treatment affect daily function in people 65 and older. It focuses on building a research infrastructure so scientists can study trajectories of aging alongside different cancers and treatments. The goal is to better understand who is at risk for disability and how to intervene earlier to maintain independence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from earlier identification of functional declines and more personalized care to preserve independence.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows digital sensors can reveal aging and functional changes, but this project aims to create a scalable, multi-cancer aging research platform.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Winters-Stone, Kerri M — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Winters-Stone, Kerri M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding Aging and Function in Older Cancer Survivors Using Digital Tools
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-
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A center at Yale is exploring how aging with HIV interacts with alcohol use to create inflammation and frailty, with the goal of finding biomarkers and potential treatments.
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Understanding how survivorship care plans affect health outcomes for cancer survivors
A study will look at whether survivorship care plans help reduce deaths and improve health for adults who have survived cancer.
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Cognitive SuperAging: Exploring why some octogenarians stay sharp in memory
This NIH grant studies why a small group of people aged 80+ keep memory skills as good as much younger people, hoping to understand how to protect memory as we age.
-
Biological aging across the lifespan through a national high school-to-adult study
This grant uses a long-running national study of students and adults to collect saliva biomarkers of aging, alongside surveys, to understand how aging markers relate to health and life experiences.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.