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Biorepository COVID-19 Resources
In collaboration with the NHLBI Biorepository and the Trans-NIH AgingResearchBiobank Steering Committee, NHLBI has developed COVID-19 Biorepository FAQs to serve as a resource/reference for the scientific community. This includes descriptions of enhanced procedures employed by the Biorepository to ensure staff safety and to mitigate the potential of airborne exposure to COVID-19 virus particles, as well as references to CDC shipping guidelines for suspected and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patient specimens, cultures, or isolates.
Other NIA Studies
Longitudinal and clinical studies on aging supported by the National Institute on Aging have generated collections of biospecimens and related phenotypic and clinical data to allow better understanding of the aging process and to promote advances in the development of prognostics, markers, and therapeutics for aging-related conditions.
Featured News
The national news has recently reported on a publication from the SWAN study. You can access the publication at the following link: Disparities in Reproductive Aging and Midlife Health between Black and White women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
Using multiple measures of social disadvantage, stressors stemming from structural racism, and a measure of discrimination, SWAN researchers found that Black women enter menopause earlier and have more severe symptoms as well as poorer sleep, mental health, health-related quality of life, cardio-metabolic health, and physical function in midlife than White women, and that these differences may be due to structural factors and discrimination. The authors concluded that early interventions on blood pressure, cholesterol, and waist circumference and a reduction in treatment disparities may be key to reducing their CVD risk.
Date: September 07, 2023NIH has posted two Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for investigators using AgingResearchBiobank resources.
PAR-23-236 supports the development of early-stage or new data repositories or knowledgebases that could be valuable for the biomedical research community. The overall goal is to support pilot activities that demonstrate the need and potential impact of the data resource.
PAR-23-237 is to support established biomedical data resources, that have demonstrated impact and have potential for continued benefit to the mission of one or more of the NIH Institutes and Centers participating in this announcement.
Further details on each opportunity, including how to apply, can be found at the links above.
Date: September 01, 2023NIH has posted two Notices of Special Interest (NOSI) for investigators using AgingResearchBiobank resources.
NOT-AG-21-020 seeks to encourage the use of existing cohorts and datasets for well-focused secondary analyses to investigate novel scientific ideas and/or address clinically related issues on: (1) aging changes influencing health across the lifespan (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD)), (2) diseases and disabilities in older persons, and/or (3) the changes in basic biology of aging that underlie these impacts on health (the hallmarks of aging).
NOT-AG-21-028 seeks to encourage analyses of the CALERIE collection.
Further details on each opportunity, including how to apply, can be found at the links above.
Date: February 23, 2023Dr. Juhua Luo has recently published the following paper using data provided by the biobank: Gait speed, handgrip strength, and cognitive impairment among older women - A multistate analysis.
Date: October 07, 2022NIH has released two new resources for the research community in preparation for implementation of the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS) (effective Jan 25, 2023). The two resources being released are:
- Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Protecting Privacy When Sharing Human Research Participant Data
- Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Responsible Management and Sharing of American Indian/Alaska Native Participant Data
This supplemental information is responsive to stakeholder feedback regarding resources that would be helpful to the research community.
Date: September 22, 2022Request for Public Comments on DRAFT Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Protecting Privacy When Sharing Human Research Participant Data (OT-OD-22-131)
Date: May 18, 2022Dr. Michael G. Shlipak has recently published a paper based on his work with LIFE biospecimens and data provided by the AgingResearchBiobank: Effect of Structured, Moderate Exercise on Kidney Function Decline in Sedentary Older Adults: An Ancillary Analysis of the LIFE Study Randomized Clinical Trial
Date: May 09, 2022Dr. Juhua Luo has recently published the following paper using data provided by the biobank: Trajectories of objectively measured physical function among older breast cancer survivors in comparison with cancer-free controls.
Date: May 03, 2022A new study, Comprehensive Assessment of the Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy Study (CALERIE), has been posted to the AgingResearchBiobank website. Data and biospecimens from this study are now available for request.
CALERIE was a study designed to determine the biological effects of two years of prolonged caloric restriction in humans.
Date: April 19, 2022It’s been more than two and a half years since NIA officially established the AgingResearchBiobank, a state-of-the-art scientific repository of valuable biospecimens and related data from NIA-supported longitudinal and clinical studies. As this well-received resource continues to expand, it can help to develop and accelerate your studies — plus make it easier for you to comply with forthcoming changes to NIH data management and sharing policies.
Date: November 10, 2021Four studies exploring women’s brain and heart health during midlife conducted in the NIH-supported Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) suggest that midlife health may be an important determinant of cognitive and heart health later on in life. Read more at https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/four-studies-explore-womens-brain-and-heart-health-during-midlife
Date: July 08, 2021More exciting news this month as our AgingResearchBiobank continues to grow! Our latest collections spotlight two important clinical studies on older men's health. If you're studying sex differences in risks and resilience as we age, be sure to connect to these newly released Biobank resources...
Date: March 10, 2021More than one-third of people aged 65 years and older fall each year. The risk of falling and fall-related problems like fractures and loss of mobility rises with age and is affected by other health conditions and some medications...
Date: August 12, 2020The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) helps scientists, health care providers, and patients understand the relationship between women's midlife experiences, such as menopause, and their health and quality of life in later years. SWAN...
Date: June 10, 2020Maintaining the ability to walk without assistance and perform daily activities is essential for health and independence as we age. Conducted from 2010 to 2013, the NIA-supported Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) study examined...
Date: May 20, 2020As part of NIA's mission, we conduct and support various longitudinal and clinical studies on aging that generate a vast collection of biospecimens and related phenotypic and clinical data. When these grants end, it is often hard to maintain such collections with no support...
Date: January 30, 2019About the NIA
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) leads the federal government in conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. Our research ranges from the study of basic cellular changes that accompany the aging process to the examination of the biomedical, social, and behavioral aspects of growing older. Our main goal is to understand the nature of aging and the aging process, and diseases and conditions associated with growing older, in order to extend the healthy, active years of life.
Learn more about the NIA’s mission and strategic directions for aging research at www.nia.nih.gov