USTC Launches Chinese Longevity and Health Research, Recruiting 500 Seniors Aged 90 or Above to Participate

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has announced the launch of a five-year research project—“HKUST Chinese Healthy Aging and Longevity Study.” This pioneering study targets local Chinese senior citizens and aims to deeply explore the key factors behind “healthy aging and longevity.” The research findings will provide a scientific foundation for developing more precise and personalized health management strategies, and will promote the overall development of healthy aging in society.

The study is led by HKUST President, Professor Michelle Chong, and Professor Yau Yuk-ju, Director of the National Key Laboratory for the Study of Neurological Disorders, and the interdisciplinary team is generously supported by the Pengcheng Charitable Foundation.

The study is now recruiting 500 Chinese senior citizens aged 90 or above who can clearly express informed consent to participate. The study will provide participants with free blood tests and basic health check-ups. The research team will also collect relevant information such as their lifestyle habits through questionnaires for comprehensive analysis. This study will use HKUST’s advanced blood testing and multi-omics data analysis platforms, combined with artificial intelligence models, to conduct an integrated analysis of participants’ blood data, clinical medical information, and lifestyle data. In this way, the study will identify biomarkers and molecular pathways associated with healthy aging and longevity, deepening understanding of the biological mechanisms behind healthy aging and longevity.

Yau Yuk-ju said the study has three important objectives. First, to systematically identify the factors related to healthy aging and longevity, especially those that can be modified. Once the biological mechanisms of healthy aging and longevity are understood, it will lay the groundwork for future exploration of personalized health management and intervention approaches. Second, the goal is to more precisely identify the genetic factors associated with healthy aging and longevity, particularly genes related to longevity within the Chinese population. Third, to establish a biological sample database for Chinese people who live to a long age, providing an important foundation for subsequent clinical medical research.