Alliance for Aging Research

Activities

The Alliance for Aging Research concentrates its policy work on securing funding for aging research, the FDA, and stem cell research, as well as enhancing healthcare for older Americans. To raise awareness about conditions like osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, oral care, and diabetes, the organization holds briefings for Congress. It also participates in several coalitions and committees, such as Friends of the National Institute on Aging, the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, and the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging.

The Alliance has taken part in the White House Conference on Aging, which occurs once a decade, assisting the President and Congress in passing resolutions that make aging research a national priority. Each year, it works with patient and advocacy groups on the Task Force on Aging Research Funding, urging Congress and other policymakers to take action. ACT-AD, a coalition of over 50 organizations, focuses on speeding up the development of treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

The Healthspan Campaign, launched on December 2, 2012, by former CEO Fred Perry, promotes a long-term plan for funding and researching longevity. Its main idea is that extending lifespan will eventually lower healthcare costs. The Campaign’s research supports using palliative anti-aging drugs to give elderly patients seven or more additional years of life, and it pushes for more work in this area. The Alliance creates educational materials on healthy aging and chronic disease, especially for the Baby Boomer generation.

Programs

These resources cover age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving, osteoporosis, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer. The Baby Boomer population includes roughly 78 million Americans—27 million aged 55 to 62 and 51 million aged 44 to 54. This generation began turning 65 in 2011, which heightens the demand for research on healthy aging and chronic disease.

Did You Know?

• The Alliance received two grants from Pfizer in 2021 totaling $120,000, most of which funded a COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project.
• The Vaccine Education and Equity Project established the Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity, and Progress (CVEEP) as its main provider of information on the COVID-19 vaccine.
• The project was supported by 60 other organizations and focused on providing the FDA vaccine trial and review processes to the public.