In 1953, an American biochemist and a British physicist working together in Cambridge, England, identified the structure of DNA — the molecule of life — which passes genetic information from one generation to another. This discovery has unleashed an explosion of knowledge over the last half-century leading directly to the Human Genome Project and to the promise of personalized medicine.

In July 2006, President George W. Bush used the first veto of his presidency to block a Congressional bill that would have lifted his 2001 ban on federal funding for most stem-cell research. In vetoing this legislation, Bush defied a bipartisan effort in Congress and the wishes of a majority of the American public. Nearly three-quarters of Americans support embryonic stem cell research, according to a May 2006 poll conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation.

This month the Alliance for Aging Research celebrates the 20th anniversary of our founding as a not-for-profit organization working to increase support for research to extend the healthy years of life. Twenty years ago, the science of aging was at the bottom of medical research priorities and lacked prestige as an academic discipline. Of the 11 federal health research institutes at the time, the National Institute of Aging ranked 10th in terms of budget and only a handful of scientists around the world were engaged in aging research. Over the past two decades, aging research has gained respect and prominence, yet much remains to be done.