The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is providing funding for the next five-year phase of the Dog Aging Project. The project is a nationwide long-term study of healthy aging in tens of thousands of companion dogs. The new funding will let researchers follow the dogs for longer and expand studies of their genetics, nutrition and home environments.
The five-year plan includes about $29 million in NIH support. The first year is covered by a $6.1 million award. The project began in 2018, and its stated goal is to improve lifelong health for both dogs and people.
Dr. Kate Creevy, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, serves as the project's chief veterinary officer. She co-directs the project with Dr. Daniel Promislow of Tufts University. Tufts is the primary award recipient, and Texas A&M is taking part through a subaward.