Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity (CTRAL)

School of Education and Human Development

Transforming Lives of Older Adults

Our Mission


The Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity (CTRAL), is part of the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management in the School of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M. CTRAL is engaged in ongoing translational clinical research on nutrition, exercise, and metabolism in relation to aging and the common diseases of our aging population, including:

  • Cancer
  • Heart failure
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
  • Mild cognitive impairment/dementia
  • Autism spectrum disorder

CTRAL’s overall goal is to translate knowledge from basic and applied sciences to care and clinical practice for older adults.

Clinical Research

We perform clinical research that study the role of changes in metabolism in relation to healthy aging. Our goal is to increase knowledge on how changes in nutrition can affect outcomes in disease and aging. We focus on investigating the role of certain macronutrients: the small molecules that make up the building blocks of proteins, fats, and sugars in metabolism.

Leaders in our Field

Clinical research at CTRAL is supervised by Dr. Nicolaas Deutz, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Marielle Engelen, Ph.D.; both tenured professors at Texas A&M, they bring years of experience in performing human clinical research. They work with interested Texas A&M researchers on collaborative clinical research projects that ultimately lead to federal funding.