GeroScience - Call for Papers

Aging in Companion Animals

Associate Editors Dr. Silvan Urfer, Dr. Jessica Hoffman and Dr. Matt Kaeberlein and the editorial team of GeroScience (the Journal of the American Aging Association) invite submissions of original research articles, opinion papers and review articles related to research focused on using companion animals as models in all aspects of aging research. While we have made tremendous progress in aging research using laboratory animals, these studies have been done in tightly controlled environments, with minimal environmental and genetic variation. Privately owned companion animals are an exciting emerging model in that they share the highly variable human environment and its risk factors, spontaneously develop many of the same age-related diseases that are associated with normative aging in humans, receive comparable levels of medical care, and generally have excellent veterinary medical data available. In addition, companion dogs and cats are divided into a genetically diverse mixed breed population, as well as a population of purebred animals that represent hundreds of genetically distinct, inbred strains that present an ideal opportunity to model genotype-environment interactions. Companion dogs in particular are also highly phenotypically diverse, opening additional opportunities to study the effects of various phenotypes and their underlying genotypes on normative aging and age-related disease.

This call-for-papers is aimed at providing a platform for the more widespread use of companion animals as models in geroscience, with the goal of being able to better model both the genetic diversity as well as the environmental variation found in the human population. This includes lifespan and causes of death in various genetic and environmental backgrounds, as well as studies focusing on individual diseases, comparative epidemiology, and One Health aspects within a diverse genetic and environmental background. We are also interested in manuscripts investigating interventional approaches to aging and age-related diseases, leveraging the fact that companion animals age at roughly 7-10 times the human rate, and encourage submissions to develop them as models and potential sentinels for human health.

All manuscripts accepted from this Call for Papers will be included in a unique online article collection to further highlight the importance of this topic. All manuscripts should be submitted online here: https://www.editorialmanager.com/jaaa/default.aspx (this opens in a new tab)

              Please indicate during the submission process by checking the relevant box that the manuscript is submitted in response to this Call for Papers. Manuscripts will undergo normal peer review as they are received. Manuscripts will be published online as they are accepted. Articles published from this Call for Papers will be highlighted with a special “Call for Papers” banner on the article PDF, as well as included in the "Aging in Companion Animals” online article collection at time of publication. Submission of cover image ideas is encouraged. The submission of manuscripts in response to this Call for Papers is continuous. If you have any question please contact Dr. Silvan Urfer via email at  urfers@uw.edu (this opens in a new tab).