The Old Grey Muzzle Tour 2016 Geroscience in Action: Advancing the Science of Cancer Resistance From March through May 2016, Dr. Waters will be traveling across the U.S. studying the oldest-living dogs and making educational stops along the way During the 2016 Muzzle Tour, Dr. Waters educational stops will include presentations at: Association for Gerontology Higher Education (AGHE), Long Beach, CA International Conference on Research, Education and Communication (IDREC), Orlando, FL International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) National Meeting, Anaheim, CA LA-SPCA, Los Angeles, CA Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA The Murphy Foundation is currently seeking sponsors for the 2016 Muzzle Tour. Join other organizations in supporting this unique vehicle for advancing research and education on successful aging and cancer avoidance. Previous Muzzle Tour Sponsors include: AI Biotech American Federation of Aging Research (AFAR) American Kennel Club (AKC) Avidog Coastal Pet Products Elanco Eukanuba Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research (PSBR) Wandering Films Kyrie in Alaska was one of the oldest-living Rottweilers studied by Dr. Waters in the 2013 Muzzle Tour.
Sponsorship Opportunity The Old Grey Muzzle Tour 2016 Platinum $10,000 includes: Company Name recognized as the lead sponsor Full color, 1 page ad inside the Old Grey Muzzle Tour 2016 Healthy Longevity Notebook distributed to attendees of Educational Stops nationwide; the ad should show how the vision/philosophy of the company meshes with the mission of the Old Grey Muzzle Tour: To Discover, To Educate Banner ad on the Old Grey Muzzle Tour website Mentions on the Old Grey Muzzle Tour Facebook page Booth Space at selected Educational Stops during the Tour Gold $5000 and over includes: Company Name recognized as a sponsor Full color, 1 page ad inside the Old Grey Muzzle Tour 2016 Healthy Longevity Notebook distributed to attendees of Educational Stops nationwide; the ad should show how the vision/philosophy of the company meshes with the mission of the Old Grey Muzzle Tour: To Discover, To Educate Banner ad on the Old Grey Muzzle Tour website Mentions on the Old Grey Muzzle Tour Facebook page Silver $3000 includes: Company name recognized as a sponsor Half page B&W ad inside the Old Grey Muzzle Tour 2016 Healthy Longevity Notebook distributed to attendees of Educational Stops nationwide; the ad should show how the vision/philosophy of the company meshes with the mission of the Old Grey Muzzle Tour: To Discover, To Educate Banner ad on the Old Grey Muzzle Tour website Mentions on the Old Grey Muzzle Tour Facebook page Like previous Old Grey Muzzle Tours, it is anticipated that the 2016 Muzzle Tour will garner national media attention.
What is The Old Grey Muzzle Tour? A cross-country scientific expedition to gather clues to highly successful aging and cancer avoidance by studying the oldest-living Rottweiler dogs in North America in their homes To date, Dr. Waters has completed 4 Muzzle Tours, studying 90 of these exceptional dogs, who are equivalent to 100 year-old people Dog Visit Celebration Stop Academic THE CENTER FOR EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY STUDIES Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation March 4 April 12, 2013 March 4 Homer, Alaska March 6 Anderson Island, Washington March 7 Amboy, Washington March 10 Claremont, New Hampshire March 11 Staten Island, New York March 12 Wyckoff, New Jersey March 13 Madison, Virginia March 14 Richmond, Virginia March 15 Atlanta, Georgia March 16 Louisville, Kentucky March 19 Lexington, Kentucky March 21 Parke County, Indiana March 23 Ypsilanti, Michigan March 26 Lomira, Wisconsin March 28 Tulsa, Oklahoma March 30 Tijeras, New Mexico March 31 Albuquerque, New Mexico April 1 Albuquerque, New Mexico April 3 Fort Collins, Colorado April 6 San Diego, California April 7 Aguanga, California April 9 Pray, Montana April 12 West Lafayette, Indiana THE CENTER FOR EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY STUDIES Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation February 26 April 24, 2014 Dog Visit Celebration Stop Academic Feb 28 Columbia, Pennsylvania March 1 Ramsey, New Jersey March 2 Fair Lawn, New Jersey March 5 Orlando, Florida March 9 Frederick, Maryland March 11 Calverton, Virginia March 12 Spotsylvania, Virginia March 16 Kingston, Oklahoma March 17 Irving, Texas March 19 San Antonio, Texas March 22 Macon, Georgia March 23 Salvisa, Kentucky March 24 Evansville, Indiana March 25 Lewisburg, Ohio March 27 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania March 29 Alliance, Ohio April 2 West Lafayette, Indiana April 4 Dundee, Illinois April 6 Lauderdale, Minnesota April 8 Tucson, Arizona April 10 Sandy, Utah April 11 Draper, Utah April 13 Los Angeles, California April 14 Los Angeles, California April 15 San Diego, California April 17 Portland, Oregon April 19 Dundee, Oregon April 24 Crystal Lake, Illinois THE CENTER FOR EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY STUDIES Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation March 6 May 12, 2015 Dog Visit Celebration / Education Stop March 8 March 10 March 11 March 18 March 20 March 22 March 24 March 26 March 27 March 29 April 2 April 7 April 9 April 11 April 12 April 15 April 17 April 18 April 20 April 21 April 25 April 30 May 1 May 3 May 7 Clinton, Maryland Orlando, Florida Cocoa Beach, Florida Milesburg, Pennsylvania Henrietta, New York Cadogan, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Cleveland, Ohio Painesville, Ohio Garrison, New York New York, New York Phoenix, Arizona Litchfield Park, Arizona Tualatin, Oregon Kennewick, Washington El Cajon, California Los Angeles, California Simi Valley, California Walnut Creek, California Palo Alto, California Red Lodge, Montana Crystal Lake, Illinois Hinckley, Illinois Chicago, Illinois New York, New York
Why Study Centenarian Rottweilers? The aim is to discover key pathways to successful aging and cancer avoidance The study targets Rottweilers who have lived more than 13 years, which is 30% longer than average life expectancy for the breed, equivalent to 100 human years The oldest-old Rottweilers provide investigators with an opportunity to study cancer-resistant individuals within a cancer-prone breed. Our autopsy studies indicate the majority of these highly successfully aging dogs have figured out how to keep cancer at bay, hold it in check. This represents a unique research opportunity because scientists have found it very difficult to identify cancer resistant populations of humans or animals for in-depth study. The Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation s Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies seeks to identify important genetic and environmental determinants of healthy longevity and to better understand the complex relationship between aging and cancer. The Center is the home of The Exceptional Longevity Database the first systematic study of exceptional longevity in pet Rottweiler dogs. This one-of-a-kind resource is documenting intriguing similarities between the longest-lived dogs and humans, shedding light on the basic biology behind why we age. The research on Rottweilers represents the first scientific study of exceptional longevity in pet dogs and is intended to benefit pets and people.
What Makes this Aging Research so Unique? We are capitalizing on a unique research approach moving out of the laboratory, into the living room There s no substitute for making firsthand observations David J. Waters, DVM, PhD From our Exceptional Longevity Database of more than 300 oldest-living Rottweilers, we have learned a lot about the lifetime health and medical histories of exceptionally long-lived dogs. But our desire is to understand more deeply the biology behind highly successful aging. By heading out of the laboratory and into the living room to carefully study these exceptionally long-lived dogs in their homes, Dr. Waters is able to make detailed observations of each dog in its own environment, and conduct complete medical exams including life history. Dr. Waters performing a neurological examination. Blood specimens are collected for clinical chemistry and laboratory testing; stored specimens are available for testing original research hypotheses about aging and cancer. In the laboratory, we continue to process and preserve critical biological specimens DNA, blood and urine, biopsy and autopsy tissues from these dogs creating the world s first Longevity Biorepository at the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies. Guided by the oldest-old dogs, we hope to uncover the secrets of elite aging and cancer resistance not just living longer, but living longer, healthier lives. Through research the detailed examination of tissues and careful identification of markers circulating in blood we hope to find the keys that will unlock the mechanism of how they do it, so our pets (and us) can walk around with cancer as a nuisance instead of a lethal killer. Tissues collected at autopsy are examined in detail (adrenal glands).
What is the Overarching Goal of the Old Grey Muzzle Tour? To Discover, To Educate As part of the Old Grey Muzzle Tour, Dr. Waters takes advantage of opportunities to educate the public about the processes of aging, cancer, and biomedical research Dr. Waters and his team strongly believe that as scientists we have a dual role: To Discover, To Educate. And they have come to recognize how difficult it is for people to respond to the deluge of new information on health. Now more than ever, it s important for each of us to take charge of our own health and wellness. That is why the Muzzle Tour includes not only dog visits but educational stops where Dr. Waters can share his research progress and practical perspectives on health, disease prevention, and successful aging in academic settings and with the public. TEDx Talk (2013) The Healthy Longevity Notebook is an education tool created by Dr. Waters team inspired by the idea: To Discover, To Educate. Using accessible language, the Notebook describes 15 of Dr. Waters most significant published works on cancer, aging and discovery-education, along with an extensive collection of more than 80 articles on human health selected by Dr. Waters from the scientific literature. Moreover, the Notebook provides 190 journal pages, serving as a year-long diary to record health information relevant to you and your pet. 2015 Healthy Longevity Notebook
The Old Grey Muzzle Tour on Facebook Follow the Tour on Facebook and read what Dr. Waters learns from each of the exceptionally long-lived dogs he visits. Welcome to Dr. Waters Muzzle Tour Journal The Old Grey Muzzle Tour Facebook page is another platform extending our mission: To Discover, To Educate. Along his 50-70 day journey, Dr. Waters takes time to write about what each dog is teaching him about the aging process. The Muzzle Tour Facebook page has more than 2,000 followers actively responding to posts and messages. Old Grey Muzzle Tour Facebook Page (2015)
About Dr. David J. Waters, DVM, Ph.D. Director of the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation Dr. Waters is the Director of the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies at the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation in West Lafayette, Indiana. From 2000 to 2014, Dr. Waters served as Professor of Comparative Oncology in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Associate Director of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University. He received his BS (1980) and DVM (1984) degrees from Cornell University and his PhD from the University of Minnesota (1992). Dr. Waters is nationally recognized for his work on validating pet dogs as models of human aging and cancer. In 2006, he published in Scientific American Cancer Clues from Pet Dogs, which benchmarked for investigators and the public the science behind the field of comparative oncology. Since 2008, he has led the research team conducting the first systematic study of exceptional longevity in pet dogs. The research hinges on the idea that pet dogs with extreme longevity equivalent to humans who live to be 100 years old offer a valuable scientific opportunity to uncover important clues to understanding what it takes for pets and people to age more successfully and avoid cancer. In 2010, his first cross-country scientific expedition to study the oldest-living Rottweilers in their homes ( The Old Grey Muzzle Tour ) was featured in USA Today, AARP Bulletin, and Good Morning America. Dr. Waters is also an expert on the comparative aspects of prostate cancer in men and dogs, selected as one of the 100 scientists who formulated the scientific direction of the prostate cancer research agenda of the United States in 1997. His expertise as a One Health-minded translational researcher is evidenced by the publication of more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers in a variety of high-impact journals, including Aging Cell, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Journal of Gerontology, Carcinogenesis, Prostate, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. He is an award-winning teacher, receiving the Great Teacher Award for Exemplary Interdisciplinary Teaching at Purdue in 2005. He is one of fewer than 70 scientists worldwide to be recognized as a Fellow in the Biology of Aging by the Gerontological Society of America. His 2013 TEDx talk The Oldest Dogs as Our Greatest Teachers: Get the Words Out of Your Eyes highlights the innovation of studying the oldest-old pet dogs and underscores how our use of language not only limits scientific discovery but also how we respond to new information.
About Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation 501(c)(3) Not-for-profit Research Institute Thought Leaders in Aging and Cancer Prevention, Authors of Key Scientific Publications Published in Aging Cell (2009) Published in BioFactors (2013) Published in The Veterinary Journal (2014) Published in Scientific American (2015) The Murphy Cancer Foundation is a not-for-profit research institute located in the Purdue Research Park that is committed to defeating cancer and other age-related diseases through basic, comparative, and clinical research. To conduct this research, Murphy Foundation scientists have developed a rich collaborative network of top-notch scientists from many disciplines including pathology, genetics, gerontology, cancer biology, nutrition, and drug discovery. We have a strong commitment to translational research and education. Thus, we are committed to both improving the cross-training of the next generation of scientists, as well as improving the communication of new science and its implications to the public. Learn more about Murphy Cancer Foundation at www.gpmcf.org.