LONGEVITY STUDY WILL INVESTIGATE EXCEPTIONALLY LONG AND HEALTHY LIVES

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LONGEVITY STUDY WILL INVESTIGATE EXCEPTIONALLY LONG AND HEALTHY LIVES
18 August 2006 - Washington University in St Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will head an ambitious study of people who live exceptionally long and healthy lives to identify the factors that account for their longevity.

A team led by Michael Province, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics and genetics, received a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to establish a Data Management and Coordinating Center for the Exceptional Longevity Family Study.

"The trick is not just to live long, but to live disease free. We want to find out how people do it," says Province. "There is preliminary evidence from many sources that genes play a significant role, especially for the oldest of the old, those who live past 100."

A new study hopes to determine why some people live longer than others.
The DMCC will be the cornerstone of the multicenter longevity project, linking together four study centers (three in the United States and one in Europe) funded by NIA. The study centers will gather genetic and health information from over 3,000 long-lived volunteers and their descendants, and the DMCC will provide a central facility to tabulate and analyze the data gathered.

"There will be a great deal of data," Province indicates. "We will be looking for genetic risks for cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, all the major risks, as well as asking about personal habits, looking at medical histories, and doing clinical tests."

The DMCC will also advise the study centers on detailed experimental design and ensure stringent quality control of the data for the duration of the study. "We hope to develop this study into a flagship resource for human longevity research for well beyond its initial five years of funding," says Province.

Province and other members participating in the project have had extensive experience with multicenter health studies and have developed innovative statistical tools that can now be applied to identify both the genetic and the non-genetic causes of extreme longevity. "There are a whole slew of things that we have been playing with and testing to see how well they work on very complex data," Province states. "And they can be very powerful, especially for the analysis of clusters of interacting causes and complex pathways." In addition, with recent developments in computer technology, the DMCC will be able to perform statistical analyses that previously would not have been possible.

Ingrid Borecki, Ph.D., associate professor of biostatistics at Washington University School of Medicine, will co-direct the DMCC project, assisted by J. Philip Miller and a team from the Division of Biostatistics. The study center leaders will be Richard Mayeux, M.D. (Columbia University), Anne Newman, M.D. (University of Pittsburgh), Thomas Perls, M.D. (Boston University), and James Vaupel, Ph.D. (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Germany).

http://www.wustl.edu

About: Washington University in St Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a medium-sized, independent research university dedicated to challenging its faculty and students alike to seek new knowledge and greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world. The university is counted among the world's leaders in teaching and research and draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and more than 90 other nations. With 6,509 undergraduates and 5,579 graduate and professional students, as well as 1,384 part-time students, Washington University offers more than 90 programs and nearly 1,500 courses in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary majors.

Founded in 1853 by St. Louisans, Washington University is highly regarded for its commitment to excellence in learning. Its programs, administration, facilities, resources, and activities combine to further its mission of teaching, research, and service to society.

Set amid a thriving metropolitan region of 2.6 million residents, the University benefits from the vast array of social, cultural, and recreational opportunities offered by the St. Louis area. Bordered on the east by St. Louis' famed Forest Park and on the north, west, and south by well-established suburbs, the 169-acre Hilltop Campus features predominantly Collegiate Gothic architecture, including a number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

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