Join a Human Longevity Study
If you are interested in joining one of the Human Longevity Studies at Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Institute for Geroscience, please review the information below to learn more about our selection criteria and which studies are currently recruiting. If you are interested in joining any of studies that are recruiting, please contact us at superagers@einsteinmed.edu.
Why Join a Longevity Study?
We encourage you to join a study to play an active role in scientific research, advance the discovery of new drugs, and help people live longer, healthier lives.
Study Criteria & Requirements
Find information about enrollment criteria for Einstein’s Human Longevity Study, including requirements around participant age, location, and other characteristics, as well as the level of involvement necessary to participate.
| Study | Who Can Participate | Participant Location | Study Status | Involvement |
|---|
Become a Participant
If you are interested in joining any of studies that are recruiting, please contact us at superagers@einsteinmed.edu.
The Founder Effect
Several of our Human Longevity Studies recruit individuals who are Ashkenazi Jews. Due to the "founder effect," the genetic makeup of Ashkenazi Jews is comparatively homogenous, making it easier to identify the location of genetic variations. For example, the gene mutations for early-onset ovarian cancer and breast cancer were identified through research done among Ashkenazi women.
The "founder effect" occurs when a population has a limited number of forebears and/or when one or more events substantially reduces a population. A group of people whose ancestry includes either or both of these characteristics is comparatively homogeneous in its genetic makeup. In founder populations, a larger proportion of individuals will exhibit similar, distinctive genetic traits. Also, a distinctive genetic trait is more likely to be the result of the same genetic variation within the founder population. Other examples of “founder effect” in humans include the Amish in Pennsylvania and the Afrikaner population in South Africa.
Ashkenazi Jews come from a small number of founders and during much of their history experienced significant population reductions. Although shrouded in history, the number of founders of the Ashkenazi Jewish population is believed to be extremely small. One study indicates that about 40% of today's Ashkenazi population come from just four "founding mothers."