Preclinical Aging Models

Only available as part of a package

Preclinical Aging Models introduces researchers to the principles and practices that guide the effective use of animal models in aging and geroscience research. The course begins with the logic of animal model selection, examining key tradeoffs among species, available genotypic configurations, and the scientific importance of including both sexes in preclinical studies. Learners then explore the biology of major animal models used in aging research, comparing species-specific characteristics relevant to geroscience. The strengths and limitations of commonly used models—including C. elegans, fruit flies, and laboratory rodents—are evaluated to help researchers align model choice with research questions. The course concludes with a focus on study design strategies that enhance the translation of preclinical findings to human aging and therapeutics. Core concepts such as rigor, repeatability, replicability, reproducibility, and translatability are integrated throughout. Participants will also examine outcome measure selection across species, internal and external validity, and the relationships among mechanisms, biomarkers, and outcomes. Together, these modules provide a cohesive framework for designing robust, interpretable, and translationally relevant preclinical aging studies.

Lecture 1: Logic of Animal Model Selection

By the end of this lecture, learners will be able to:

Define the logic of animal model selection

Identify a basic tradeoff in animal model species selection

Describe the various genotypic configurations available for research species

Understand the rationale for employing both sexes

Lecture 2: Biology of Major Animal Models used in Aging Research

By the end of this lecture, learners will be able to:

Identify the main animal models used in aging research

Compare basic information relevant to geroscience studies about the biology of these species

Describe strengths and weaknesses of C. elegans as a model

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the fruit fly as models

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of laboratory rodents as models

Lecture 3: Study Design to Optimize Translation of New Therapeutics

By the end of this lecture, learners will be able to:

Understand the concepts of repeatability, replicability, reproducibility, rigor and translatability

Evaluate the choice of outcome measures as criteria for efficacy across species

Understand the concepts of internal and external validity, reductionism and generalizability

Understand the relationship between mechanism, biomarker and outcome measure in translational study design

Steven N. Austad, PhD

American Federation for Aging Research

Dr. Austad is a Distinguished Professor and Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research of the Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Scientific Director of the American Federation for Aging Research. In addition, he directs the NIH-supported UAB Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, one of only six such Centers in the United States. He is also the Co-director of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center and serves on the Executive Committee of the National Institute on Aging’s Research Centers Collaborative Network.

Dr. Austad’s current research seeks to understand the underlying causes of aging with a long-term goal of developing medical interventions that slow the age-related decay in human health. Dr. Austad is the author of more than 200 scientific peer-reviewed publications covering nearly every aspect of aging from cells to societies. Dr. Austad is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the Gerontological Society of America. He has received multiple prestigious awards for his research work.

Caroline Zeiss, DVM, PhD

Chief of Pathology, Department of Comparative Medicine

Yale School of Medicine

Caroline Zeiss, DVM, PhD, is a dual-boarded laboratory animal veterinarian and veterinary pathologist with doctoral training in the translational use of large animal models. She earned her veterinary degree from Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Zeiss completed her pathology residency and PhD at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, followed by a faculty appointment at Yale University.

She currently serves as Chief of Pathology in the Department of Comparative Medicine. Her independent and collaborative research focuses on the development of translational animal models in infectious disease and neuroscience. Although trained as a general anatomic pathologist, her expertise is concentrated in ophthalmic and neuropathology, including long-standing collaborations evaluating the toxicity and efficacy of gene therapies and other neurologic interventions. More recently, her work has expanded to modeling influenza and SARS-CoV-2 co-infection and coronavirus propagation in rodents. Her clinical practice centers on nonhuman primate care, with emphasis on anesthesia, pain management, imaging, and internal medicine in aging macaques.