This study began enrollment at the end of 2007 and included eligible individuals 80 years of age or older, which was later changed to 85 years of age or older. The objective of this study is to obtain blood and/or saliva samples in order to help model health and disease phenotypes through population genomics.

The criteria for inclusion and exclusion were as follows:

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. Age 85 years or older
  2. Eligible for blood draw and/or saliva collection
  3. Be reliable, cooperative and willing to comply with all protocol-specified procedures
  4. Able to understand and grant informed consent
  5. Be healthy or have mild medical conditions that may be associated with the normal aging process, including:
    • Hypertension, well controlled (no more than 3 medications)
    • Osteoporosis, Osteopenia and/or osteoarthritis
    • Benign prostatic hypertrophy
    • Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration
    • Dyslipidemia
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Pre-diabetes/impaired fasting glucose (fasting blood glucose 100-126 mg/dL, if known)

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. < 85 years old
  2. Participants have been previously enrolled in The Scripps Genebank Healthy Elderly Cohort
  3. Treatment with any investigational agents or devices within thirty days preceding enrollment in the study.
  4. Self-reported history or current diagnosis of significant chronic conditions including:
    • Any Cancer (including polycythemia; excluding basal or squamous cell skin cancer).
    • Coronary Artery Disease/Myocardial Infarction
    • Stroke/TIA
    • Deep Vein Thrombosis/Pulmonary Embolus
    • Chronic Renal Disease/Hemodialysis
    • Significant Auto-immune/Inflammatory conditions such as (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Crohn’s, etc.
    • Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s
    • Diabetes (Hemoglobin A1C > 6.5 % or fasting glucose >126 mg/dL or treated with oral diabetic medication or insulin if known)
    • Aortic or Cerebral Aneurysm
  5. Currently taking any of the following medications on a regular basis:
    • Oral chemotherapeutic agents (ex.: tamoxifen, doxorubicin, mitoxantrone, bleomycin)
    • Anti-platelet agents, not including aspirin (ex.: clopidogrel/plavix, dipyridamole/aggrenox/persantine, ticlopidine/ticlid)
    • Cholinesterase inhibitor for Alzheimer’s disease (i.e. donepezil/Aricept)
    • Insulin
  6. Subject has a significant medical condition which, in the Investigator’s opinion, may interfere with the patient’s optimal participation in the study or would potentially confound interpretation of the individual’s phenotype.