Canada’s largest and most comprehensive study of aging has opened its national headquarters at the McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, Ont.

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is a long-term research project examining the factors that shape healthy aging. The national study will follow 50,000 men and women aged 45 to 85 for 20 years. The CLSA collects information on the changing biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic aspects of people’s lives as they age.

“Establishing our national operations at the McMaster Innovation Park made perfect sense to us,” said Parminder Raina, lead principal investigator of the study and a professor of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University.

“The CLSA is highly collaborative, involving researchers at 26 institutions across Canada. Our focus is on developing a research platform that will answer critical questions about aging. We wanted to be located in a space that embodies our same spirit of collaboration and innovation.”

The McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) will be home to the CLSA’s National Coordinating Centre (NCC),  which manages the recruitment of participants, leads data collection operations, develops protocols and provides training and direction for 11 Data Collection Sites across the country.

“Over the next 20 years, the National Coordinating Centre will play a central role in data management and coordinating data analysis for the study,” said Ine Wauben, CLSA national manager. “The outcome of this unique undertaking will provide new insights into the aging process and new opportunities to help people age optimally.”

In addition to the National Coordinating Centre, MIP also houses the McMaster Data Collection Site, which will welcome study participants from Hamilton and the surrounding area to take part in a variety of assessments that examine their health and well-being. It is also home to the CLSA Biorepository and Bioanalysis Centre, a research facility that stores and analyzes biological samples collected as part of the study.

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging is a strategic initiative of Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Overall support for the study has been provided by the Government of Canada through CIHR and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

For more information about the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, visit www.clsa-elcv.ca.