Program Area: Health Sciences

Novel Genomic and Exceptional Longevity Findings from the Long Life Family Study

Chair(s)

• MW

  Mary Wojczynski, PhD, MPH

  Associate Professor
  Genetics
  Washington University
  Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

  Slides

Co-Chair(s)

• NG

  Nancy Glynn, PhD, FGSA

  Associate Professor of Epidemiology
  Epidemiology
  School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Discussant(s)

• EH

  Evan Hadley, PhD

  Director, Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology
  Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG)
  National Institute on Aging
  Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Angeline Galvin, PhD

  Postdoc
  IST-EBB/Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography
  University of Southern Denmark
  Odense, Syddanmark, Denmark
• AG

  Anastasia Gurinovich, PhD

  Assistant Professor
  Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Center for Quantitative Methods and Data Science
  Tufts Medical Center
  Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• 

  Allison Kuipers, PhD

  Associate Professor of Epidemiology
  Epidemiology
  University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• AS

  Adam Santanasto, PhD, MPH

  Assistant professor
  Epidemiology
  School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
  Oakmont, Pennsylvania, United States

The Long Life Family Study (LLFS), funded by the National Institute on Aging, is an international collaborative study of the genetics and familial components of exceptional longevity and healthy aging. We phenotyped 4,953 individuals from 539 two-generational families (1,727 proband; 3,226 offspring) at baseline (2006-2009). A second visit (2014-2017) was conducted for 2,904 (478 proband; 2,426 offspring) participants. The longitudinal, comprehensive in-person visits measured domains of healthy aging, including physical performance, cognition, and blood markers. Extensive genetic analyses were performed using the baseline blood draw, including genotyping with the Illumina 2.5M Human Omni array, linkage analyses with the families, whole genome sequencing using the TopMED protocol, and metabolomic assays. Collectively, this symposium will present novel findings that examined differences in end of life events and cause of death between non-exceptional and exceptional long-lived women, elucidate potential rare variants associated with exceptional longevity, and examine new potential metabolomics pathways involved in gait speed and cardiovascular disease. Specifically, Dr. Galvin will share results from three Danish nationwide studies (including LLFS) on different end of life events in long-lived female siblings. Then, Dr. Gurinovich will share findings on new uncommon variants associated with extreme longevity. Next, Dr. Kuipers will discuss associations between lipid metabolomics and vascular health. Lastly, Dr. Santanasto will discuss lipid metabolomics associated with lower odds of slow gait speed. Dr. Evan Hadley, NIA, will be the discussant and will share insights and propose future directions for LLFS.

Presentations:

• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  End-of-Life Events and causes of Death in Danish Long-Lived Female Siblings
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Angeline Galvin, PhD – University of Southern Denmark
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Genome-Wide Association Study of Extreme Longevity Using Whole-Genome Sequencing Data
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Anastasia Gurinovich, PhD – Tufts Medical Center
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Association of Plasma Lipid Metabolites with Ankle-Brachial Index in the Long Life Family Study
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Allison L. Kuipers, PhD – University of Pittsburgh
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Lipidomic Analysis of Gait Speed in the Long Life Family Study
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Adam J. Santanasto, PhD, MPH – School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh