The 2 nd Annual Symposium of the Midwest Aging Consortium: The Future of Aging Research in the Midwestern United States.

While the average human lifespan continues to increase, there is little evidence that this is leading to a contemporaneous increase in "healthy years" experienced by our aging population. Consequently, many scientists focus their research on understanding the process of aging and trialing interventions that can promote healthspan. The 2021 Midwest Aging Consortium (MAC) consensus statement is to develop and further the understanding of aging and age-related disease using the wealth of expertise across universities in the Midwestern United States. This report summarizes the cutting-edge research covered in a virtual symposium held by a consortium of researchers in the Midwestern United States, spanning such topics as senescence biomarkers, serotonin induced DNA protection, immune system development, multi-system impacts of aging, neural decline following severe infection, the unique transcriptional impact of CR of different fat depots, the pivotal role of fasting in calorie restriction, the impact of peroxisome dysfunction, and the influence of early life trauma on health. The symposium speakers presented data from studies conducted in a variety of common laboratory animals as well as less-common species, including C. elegans, Drosophila, mice, rhesus macaques, elephants and humans. The consensus of the symposium speakers is that this consortium highlights the strength of aging research in the Midwestern United States as well as the benefits of a collaborative and diverse approach to geroscience.