NIH gerontology research support: policy evaluation of in vitro cell lineage studies

Populations of cultured human diploid cells, used extensively in research on aging, are not well understood in terms of kinetics and mitotic activity of constituent cells. NICHD has supported, by contract, cell lineage studies to elucidate such cell characteristics contributing to the cell population degeneration and death. The policy of NICHD (NIA) encouragment of such studies has been evaluated. A need for cell lineage and related data from cultured-cell populations is recognized, and research necessary to achieve these data will be encouraged. Grant applications to this end are sought.