Major investment renews national research platform on aging

The nation's largest study on aging, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging is following more than 50,000 individuals for 20 years
Christina Wolfson, PhD, is a senior scientist in the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program at the Research Institute of the MUHC

Grants totaling $61.5 million were announced on August 12 by the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour, to support the next phase of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). The funds include $52 million through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to ensure researchers have ongoing and timely access to a world-class data platform focused on health and aging. It also includes $9.5 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Launched in 2010, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is Canada’s largest study of aging following more than 50,000 individuals who were between the ages of 45 and 85 at recruitment, for 20 years.

“This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the first steps in planning this important study. The uninterrupted support from the Government of Canada, a remarkable research team, and the ongoing dedication of the CLSA participants from across Canada since the study launched in 2010 are key components in the CLSA’s success,” says Christina Wolfson, PhD, co-principal investigator of the study at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI‑MUHC).

Since 2015, more than 340 research teams in Canada and around the world have accessed the CLSA data and have generated more than 150 peer-reviewed publications. This investment will ensure that the collection of this vital data continues and will support the introduction of several new or expanded assessments in the areas of sexual health, mobility, vision, sense of smell and health-care experiences.

Read Government of Canada’s news release.

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Gbemiga
3 years ago

Excellent News, will the new research funding focus on developing content messages for dementia among black older adults ?

Shahaireen Rahaman
3 years ago

We need more research on aging. More help from the health care system.