Biology of Aging graduate programs

[pulnimar]

I'll be graduating with a B.S. in Biology (math minor) next May, and am ultimately looking to do research in the science of aging (aka geroscience, biogerontology, longevity research).

I've checked out the Nathan Shock Centers in the Basic Biology of Aging (NSCs) as potential graduate schools.  The thing is I have a real, real problem with personal

Comments

[crazypumpkin]

You might want to post this over in

[crazypumpkin]

Sorry, _scientists_

[pulnimar]

danke schone!

[elitegoldfish]

Two things

[pulnimar]

I couldn't initiate the killing (ie. I couldn't give an order to do so). I also couldn't personally do the killing. If I'm going to grad school, I'm effectively going to be a PI for my thesis project.

I'm currently working with a person who guts and beheads various insects for mRNA studies, and it's difficult just working with him at times. This is about my limit.

Humane practices are important to me, but they really take second place to death. I could work in a lab with slightly sketchy practices in which the animals lived until they died; I couldn't work in one with the most humane practices in which their lives were terminated after a few months or a year.

[anonymous]

We do some aging studies in my lab, and yes we are primarily an in vivo (animal) lab.
Like the person before me said, animal research is not as bad as people believe it can be. Rats and mice in laboratories actually live longer lives than they do in wild. Honestly, they are treated much much better than they are in the wild. However, i'm not trying to change your beliefs on the issue.
You will find it to be very difficult to not be involved with animals over the entirety of your research career, particularly in the biology side of aging. It's too complex of an issue to just focus on a cell line; cellular aging is a different process than the system.
My suggestions would be to find a specific disease process that you're interested in studying, this will open up your options. Also you will need to be creative with what type of programs you are looking at (you may be able to find something in nutrition or exercise physiology programs).

[pulnimar]

Thanks. I have no interest in anything other than the molecular and cellular aspects of aging at this point.

Worse case scenario I'd probably end up doing research with yeast.

Can you mentioned further exactly what kinds of experimentation is run on the animals. I have significantly less of an issue with the occasional blood or tissue harvesting than with traumatic injury microRNA studies (for example).

[anonymous]

If you're committed to the fairly paradoxical plan of studying an organismal process without sacrificing any (higher) organisms, it seems to me that yeast is your BEST option rather than your worst option. I would be very careful when you communicate with the (many, excellent) yeast labs that work on aging that you don't sound like you're grudgingly considering them when you really want to work at the magical mouse lab where no one kills the mice, because that's what it sounds like here.

[pulnimar]

I'm not grudgingly considering anybody at this point, despite how it comes off. And yes, I know how to be politic and will be so when contacting them (though thanks for the warning). Ideally if I do do yeast systems I can test hypotheses developed in them on human tissue culture.

Ideally I'd like to work on organ model systems, but organ culture is still in its infancy. I've thought of going into the organ culture field, maybe I have to start tracking down these programs (along with the yeast-based labs).

[high_tower]

Although these labs use animal models, it's possible that an individual lab has non-animal based experiments. You might have to work in a lab that does animal research but could find a specific project that doesn't involve using them. Try contacting the professors of labs you are interested directly rather than the program. They still might not have anything for you.

[pulnimar]

I'll probably do this at some point, but there are just *so many* labs out there. I could spend the next month contacting them all, and I'm currently in the beginning of summer classes.

[victorniguel]

I currently work in a lab where we use them, and from what I've seen/worked with, they're treated very well (U Maryland School of Medicine).
The experimentation isn't done to increase the life of the animals, however, they do end up living longer than normal.

We DO have non animal based experiments and you can get published for clinical work as well though.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Have you actually visited a lab to see the rats/ mice? I think you might be surprised.

[pulnimar]

Humane treatment is somewhat important for me, but if the research necessitates killing or harming the animal (more than the occasional needle prick), I can't do it.

Can you mention further exactly how the animals are experimented on?

[victorniguel]

I'll send you a message.