Aging research institute by Buck Institute for Research on Aging: status and timeline

Aging research institute

Independent nonprofit conducting basic and translational aging research, free from hospital constraints. Focuses on aging mechanisms, disease, senescence, metabolism.

ResearchStage 1 of 5

25+ faculty labs, $7.8M NIH funding in 2026, launched Healthspan Horizons.

Updated 5 Mar 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Healthspan Horizons initiative milestone

Institute founded in Novato, California1999Complete.
Eric Verdin becomes President and CEO2016Complete.
Healthspan Horizons initiative launched5 Mar 2026Complete.

Most important updates

Buck Institute launches Healthspan Horizons to transform how healthspan is measured, understood and extended5 Mar 2026

Upcoming

Q4 2026Healthspan Horizons initiative milestone (next)

Current obstacles

Reproducibility of aging findingsMany interventions that extend lifespan in mice fail in humans. Identifying which findings translate to meaningful human aging is a major challenge.
Funding sustainability for basic aging researchBasic aging research has historically received less federal funding than disease-specific research. Securing stable, long-term funding remains difficult.

Physics limits

Human aging is heterogeneousAging varies widely between individuals due to genetics, lifestyle, diet, and disease history. No single intervention will work for everyone.
Aging biomarkers predict but don't explainCurrent aging clocks correlate with disease risk but don't reveal causality. Validating which biomarkers are causal remains an unsolved problem.
Long timescales for human studiesClinical trials of aging interventions require years to decades of follow-up to measure meaningful healthspan outcomes, limiting the pace of validation.

How it works

3 parts

Independent structure

Nonprofit research-focused organization

No teaching hospital, faculty dedicated 100% to research rather than clinical care.

Core facilities

Shared research infrastructure

Cores provide metabolomics, proteomics, imaging and bioinformatics to accelerate research.

Education pipeline

Training next generation

Masters, PhD, postdoc and undergrad programs train aging research leaders.

Spec sheet

Spec	Aging research institute
Active faculty laboratories	25+^R (reported)
NIH funding in 2026	$7.8M across 13 grants^R (reported)
Total employees	340+^R (reported)
Funded principal investigators (2026)	11^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Thu 5 Mar

Major: Buck Institute launches Healthspan Horizons to transform how healthspan is measured, understood and extendedPressResearch

About Buck Institute for Research on Aging

The team behind Aging research institute

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Aging research, geroscience, independent institute

The world's first independent biomedical research institute focused exclusively on aging. Founded 1999 in Novato, California with Beryl Buck estate support. Conducts basic research across 25+ faculty labs on aging, neurodegeneration, senescence, and metabolism.

First research center dedicated solely to aging research.
Eric Verdin led since 2016. Operates 25+ faculty labs and educational programs.
2026: $7.8M in NIH funding; launched Healthspan Horizons to measure and extend healthspan.

buckinstitute.org (opens buckinstitute.org)Company profile →

Founded: 199927 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $7.8M1 round
Last round: NIH funding · $7.8M2026
Works in: LongevityInstitutes & funders
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 5 Mar 2026checked 10 Oct
Partners: National Institute on Aging (NIA) (opens nia.nih.gov)National Institutes of Health (NIH) (opens nih.gov)
People: Eric Verdin (opens en.wikipedia.org)President and CEO

Spec

Aging research institute

Active faculty laboratories

25+^R (reported)

NIH funding in 2026

$7.8M across 13 grants^R (reported)

Total employees

340+^R (reported)

Funded principal investigators (2026)

11^R (reported)