Physical resilience predicts healthier aging
Official title: Physical resilience is a predictor of healthy aging
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11305312 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at whether the body's ability to recover from physical stress predicts healthier aging in middle-aged and older people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2017 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $659,148 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG057381-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11305312 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be middle-aged or older adults interested in aging research or in ways to prevent age-related loss of function.
✕Less likely to help
Younger people without aging-related concerns or patients whose conditions are unrelated to physical recovery may not benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
From my perspective as someone interested in aging, the team studies how well bodies bounce back from physical challenges using models that mimic real-life stressors. They give mice brief sleep disruption, a common chemotherapy drug, and small skin injuries, then track physical function, tissue changes, and aging-related signs. By grouping animals that resist or are susceptible to these stressors, they look for biological patterns tied to better recovery. The goal is to find targets that could later guide ways to help people keep function and age more healthily.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal ways to strengthen recovery after physical stress and help people maintain function as they age.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier animal work from this group showed patterns linking stress responses to aging in mice, but translation to human health is still early.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ladiges, Warren C — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Ladiges, Warren C
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
National Neighborhood Data Archive helps researchers study aging health in U.S. neighborhoods
A nationwide data resource will help researchers understand how where people live affects health and aging, with a focus on respiratory illnesses in older adults.
-
Sleep and aging brain resilience in a short-lived vertebrate model
A young-aged-friendly project explores how sleep quality affects brain health during aging, using a tiny, fast-lived fish model to understand Alzheimer’s-related changes.
-
MyGoals for Healthy Aging among people at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia
A multi-center trial tests whether a combined program addressing poverty-related stress and executive function can slow aging and reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease in adults.
-
Healthy aging in Black adults and its links to dementia risk
This grant follows a large group of Black adults to understand how aging, brain health, and life experiences influence Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
-
How early-life spending shape aging and dementia risk later in life
A Stanford-led study looks at how state and county spending in childhood may influence midlife thinking skills and the risk of dementia in later life.
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.