1941年，东北大学第二附属研究所成立，旨在克服结核病和麻风病。1993年，改组为老年医学研究所。 “衰老”是一种沿时轴的现象，从生命的诞生到发育、成熟、衰老和死亡。在老年医学中，该研究所研究衰老的控制机制和与衰老有关的疾病。2009年，被教育、文化、体育、科学和技术部正式认定为“老年医学研究中心”。
目前，日本正在进入一个超老龄化社会，其老年人口比例超过25%。不言而喻，随着出生率的下降，劳动人口减少，需要采取紧迫措施，继续维持一个健康的社会。此外，应对这些高度老龄化的社会被公认为每个国家的共同问题，特别是在发达国家。研究人员认为，即使在超老龄化社会中，个人和社会要保持健康、平静和活力，“个人需要随着时间的推移，即使到了老年，也能成长为人类，变得更聪明，社会必须发展成更明智、更持久的结构”。研究人员称这些想法为“智能老化”。
衰老医学研究所是世界上研究复杂人类衰老方式的领先实验室之一，全面处理多层次的医学研究，从使用分子生物学方法的基因和细胞研究到通过动物实验进行个体水平研究，再到直接针对人类的研究。为了实现智能老化，特别是个人健康长寿，研究人员的目标是成为世界领先的研究中心，向世界展示医疗支持和措施，使每个人都能够积极接受老年，并继续活跃在社会上。
In 1941, the Second Affiliated Research Institute of Tohoku University was established to overcome tuberculosis and leprosy. In 1993, it was reorganized into the Institute of Geriatrics. "Aging" is a phenomenon along a time axis, from the birth of life to development, maturity, aging and death. In geriatrics, the institute studies the mechanisms that control aging and diseases associated with aging. In 2009, it was officially recognized as the "Geriatric Research Center" by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
At present, Japan is entering a super-aging society, with more than 25% of the elderly population. It goes without saying that as the birth rate declines and the working population shrinks, urgent measures need to be taken to continue to maintain a healthy society. In addition, coping with these highly ageing societies is recognized as a common problem in every country, especially in developed countries. The researchers argue that for individuals and societies to remain healthy, calm and energetic, even in hyper-aging societies, "individuals need to grow into humans and become smarter over time, even in old age, and society must develop into smarter, more durable structures." Researchers call these ideas "smart aging."
The Institute of Aging Medicine is one of the world's leading laboratories for studying the complex ways of aging in humans, comprehensively handling multi-layered medical research, from gene and cell studies using molecular biology methods to individual-level studies through animal experimentation to studies directly targeting humans. In order to achieve intelligent aging, especially personal health and longevity, the researchers aim to become a world-leading research center that will show the world medical support and measures so that everyone can actively accept old age and continue to be active in society.