Hundreds of biological samples donated from individuals aged 90 years or older have been added to the National Institute on Aging’s Aging Cell Repository, housed at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research. The samples – a total of 351 lymphoblastoid cell lines – are associated with a long-term study of aging known as The 90+ Study.
The 90+ Study is administered by a team of scientists from the University of California Irvine and its goal is to investigate the basic lifestyle and biological factors which underlie advanced aging. Study participants – all 90 years old or older – are visited by researchers every six months and offer information about their lifestyles, including diet and medications, etc., and perform tests to assess neurological and cognitive function.
“As the average age of Americans continues to climb, it grows only more critical to better understand the biology of aging. Only through such research can we tackle the age-related issues many face, such as dementia and parkinsonism, in hopes of extending not just lifespan, but quality of life,” Ellen Kelly, PhD, the Coriell Institute program director who oversees the collection, said. “These samples taken from the oldest among us are invaluable to the scientists working on those age-related conditions. The Coriell Institute is proud to be the steward of this valuable collection.”
Established in 1974 as a partnership between the NIA and the Coriell Institute, the Aging Cell Repository is a critical resource for scientists investigating in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging. It includes thousands of highly characterized biological samples representing a wide range of ages and age-related disorders.
