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The University of Alabama at Birmingham Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging provides through our Cores state-of-the-art research services as well as diverse cells and animals for researchers investigating the links between energetics, healthspan, and aging as well as provide education and training in bioenergetics theory and analysis from the level of the organelle to the cell, tissue, organ, and organism.

researchers working in a lab

Uniquely combining the strengths of comparative studies and the undeniable link between energetics, health, and aging, our research Cores provide assistance on comparative bioenergetics as it impacts health and aging. Our Cores offer comprehensive and integrated bioenergetics analyses from cells to organisms and across species from worms to rodents, including new techniques that offer state-of-the-art analyses of geroscience experiments in bioenergetics and generally.

With our three research cores-please see links to each core below for the type of research that each core can assist with - plus the administrative and research development core, we:

  1. facilitate hypothesis-driven research and leverage these technologies into new projects, interactions, and collaborations nationwide in basic aging research;
  2. foster meaningful novel interactions among investigators within UAB and across the region and country; and
  3. provide resources, education, training, and direction to junior investigators through the intellectual resources and research infrastructure, the Center will develop.

In the effort to enhance aging research and extramural funding we partner with other UAB Centers, such as the ICAR, the Center for Exercise Medicine, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, and the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.

UAB Nathan Shock Center Cores

Administrative/Program Enrichment Core (Admin Core)

Co-Leaders: Steven Austad This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Thomas Buford This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Comparative Data Analytics Core (Analytics Core)

Leader: David Allison This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Comparative Mitochondrial Health Assessment Core (Mitometabolism Core)

Leader: Jianhua Zhang This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Comparative Organismal Energetics Core (Organismal Core)

Leader: Daniel Smith This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Research Development Core (RDC)

Leader: John Hartman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.