The ASPREE Healthy Ageing Biobank: Methodology and participant characteristics

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Preventive Medicine
• Biomarker Discovery
• Biobanking and Longitudinal Studies

Background:

• The ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial provided a unique opportunity to establish a biospecimen biobank.
• Focus on initially healthy individuals aged 70+ years to capture early biological changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and describe the ASPREE Healthy Ageing Biobank (ASPREE Biobank).
• To create a resource linking biospecimens to comprehensive phenotypic data for aging research.
• To facilitate the identification and validation of biomarkers for age-related diseases.

Main Methods:

• Collected blood, urine, and saliva samples at two time points, three years apart.
• Utilized mobile laboratories to reach regional and rural participants.
• Ensured rapid processing (within 4 hours) and frozen storage (-80°C or liquid nitrogen) of over 1.4 million aliquots.
• Collected detailed annual demographic, physiological, and clinical data.

Main Results:

• 12,219 participants provided initial samples; 10,617 provided follow-up samples.
• High-quality data and over 1.4 million aliquots were generated, with near-perfect rapid processing.
• Significant clinical events (dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, death) were recorded over a median follow-up of 4.7 years.
• The biobank links pre-clinical biospecimens to extensive longitudinal health information.

Conclusions:

• The ASPREE Biobank is a rich resource for aging research.
• It enables the study of biomarkers for age-related diseases and healthy aging.
• The linked data and high-quality biospecimens support biomarker discovery and validation efforts.