Deciphering the Factors of Longevity Through a Multi-Omics Study in Long-Lived Individuals in Hong Kong

January 20, 2026 updated by: Hiu Yi Wong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Population aging is changing societal dynamics and poses significant global challenges. By 2050, an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide will be over age 65. Because aging is the primary risk factor for many common chronic diseases, it is essential to reduce the burden of age-related illnesses and promote healthy aging. Hong Kong has one of the largest proportions of elderly adults and has the highest life expectancy in the world, with approximately 11,575 centenarians reported in 2021. Thus, the long-lived population in Hong Kong is a valuable resource for studying healthy aging.

Longevity is a complex trait influenced by genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. To unveil the mechanisms leading to longevity and healthy aging, researchers focused on centenarians who are extremely long living. Comparisons between long-lived individuals (LLIs) and others have identified several genetic factors and protein markers associated with longevity. Previous centenarian studies revealed that centenarians and their offsprings have a 5-fold lower risk of developing age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and higher cognitive reserve. Certain protein signatures predict longer survival and centenarians acquire aging signatures much later than elderly in the general population. Certain healthy lifestyle leads to higher chance becoming centenarians, including never smoking, exercise and greater dietary diversity.

Despite emerging studies on centenarian population, an integrated approach to understand diverse molecular signatures of longevity is still lacking. Moreover, most of the centenarian studies are based on European descents. To conclude, a multi-omics study examining the genetic, proteomic, metabolomic, and microbiota profiles of LLIs in Chinese population is necessary.

Hence, the study proposed herein aims to identify multi-omics biomarkers that can be used to monitor aging processes and related diseases. In addition, it will provide candidate modifiable factors to promote healthy aging, focusing on Chinese population and local Hong Kong population for the first time. Ultimately, the insights gained from this research will inform the development of effective strategies to enhance healthy aging and improve the quality of life of our local aging population.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The proposed research is a cross-sectional study that will last for 5 years. 500 individuals aged 95 years or older (i.e., LLIs) from various communities in Hong Kong will be recruited. LLIs will be recruited through advertisements as well as collaboration with geriatric community centers and non-government organizations (NGOs). Participants will be recruited at geriatric centers and NGOs to collect demographic information, family history, medical history, and medication records. Blood samples for clinical chemistry and multi-omics study will be collected. Furthermore, cognitive and functional assessment using various scoring systems will be performed to assess cognition and activities of daily living.

In addition, a control cohort of elderly people (aged 65-94 years, n = 2,000) based on our in-house Alzheimer's disease registry and community cohort will be developed. Accordingly, demographics, clinical profiles, cognitive and functional scores, and multi-omics data between the LLI and control cohorts will be compared.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

2500

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Nancy Ip, PhD
  • Phone Number: +852-23587304
  • Email: boip@ust.hk

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Hiu Yi Wong, PhD
  • Phone Number: +852-23587344
  • Email: annawong@ust.hk

Study Locations

  • China
      • Hong Kong, China
        • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
        • Contact:
          • Nancy Ip, PhD
          • Phone Number: +852-23587304
          • Email: boip@ust.hk
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nancy Ip, PhD
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Elderly with extreme longevity (aged >=95 years old)

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Han Chinese ethnicity
  2. Able to provide official evidence for being 95 years or older (e.g., a birth certificate)
  3. Mentally capable of consenting to join the study with or without informant presence
  4. Consent to donation of biospecimens (i.e., blood)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Mentally incapable of consenting to join the study even with the presence of an informant
  2. Refusal to provide blood samples

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
long-lived individuals (LLIs)
individuals aged 95 years or older
Other: Observational
Clinical profile, blood collection, cognitive assessment, questionnaires on modifiable risk factors
Elderly controls
elderly people aged 65-94 years
Other: Observational
Clinical profile, blood collection, cognitive assessment, questionnaires on modifiable risk factors

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Biobank of LLIs
Time Frame: 3-5 years
A comprehensive cohort of LLIs with data on demographics, clinical profiles, cognitive and functional assessments, lifestyle, and genomic and proteomic biomarkers
3-5 years
Genetic and modifiable factors associated with longevity
Time Frame: 3-5 years
Genetic and modifiable factors associated with longevity
3-5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
AI-based model
Time Frame: 5 years
AI-based model to elucidate candidate modifiable factors that promote healthy aging
5 years
Healthy aging strategies
Time Frame: 5 years
Recommendations for personalized strategies to enhance healthy aging in the elderly population
5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Collaborators

Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Nancy Ip, PhD, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 28, 2031

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 28, 2031

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 20, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HREP-2025-0294

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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