In response to a request for applications from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Long Life Family Study was initiated to create and enroll a cohort of families enriched for exceptional longevity (EL) in order to discover factors that contribute to healthy aging and survival. The first visit was between 2006-2009 and established the familial cohort. During this visit, blood or saliva was collected in order to obtain DNA for genotyping.

Annual follow-up has been completed on participants since their enrollment. Between 2014-2017, a second in-person visit was performed to obtain deeper, longitudinal phenotyping of the existing cohort. The third in-person visit, originally set to begin in August 2020, has been redesigned to be a split visit with a video component and remote blood draw followed by an in-person visit once the health and safety of COVID-19 can be better controlled. Creation and enrollment of cohort of EL families. Extensive in-person phenotyping and longitudinal follow-up and phenotyping.

Creation of genetic data on participants (genome wide SNP chip and whole genome sequencing). Creation of multiple OMICS data on participants (whole genome bisulfite sequencing, RNA-sequencing, metabolome, and proteome). Combine all these data sources to better understand EL.