MARK-AGE standard operating procedures (SOPs): A successful effort

María Moreno-Villanueva; Miriam Capri; Nicolle Breusing; Anne Siepelmeyer; Federica Sevini; Alessandro Ghezzo; Anton J M de Craen; Antti Hervonen; Mikko Hurme; Christiane Schön; Tilman Grune; Claudio Franceschi; Alexander Bürkle

doi:10.1016/j.mad.2015.03.007

MARK-AGE standard operating procedures (SOPs): A successful effort

Mech Ageing Dev. 2015 Nov:151:18-25. doi: 10.1016/j.mad.2015.03.007. Epub 2015 Mar 26.

Affiliations

¹ Molecular Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany. Electronic address: maria.moreno-villanueva@uni-konstanz.de.
² DIMES-Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, CIG-Interdepartmentall Centre "L.Galvani", Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
³ Institute of Nutritional Medicine, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
⁴ BioTeSys GmbH, 73728 Esslingen, Germany.
⁵ National Association "Famiglie di Persone con Disabilita Affettiva e/o Relazionale" (ANFFAS) Onlus, Macerata, Italy.
⁶ Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
⁷ School of Medicine, University of Tampere, 33014 Tampere, Finland.
⁸ Institute of Nutritional Medicine, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; German Institute of Human Nutrition, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany.
⁹ Molecular Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.

PMID: 25817206
DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2015.03.007

Abstract

Within the MARK-AGE project, a population study (3337 subjects) was conducted to identify a set of biomarkers of ageing which, as a combination of parameters with appropriate weighting, would measure biological age better than any single marker. The MARK-AGE project involves 14 European countries and a total of 26 research centres. In such a study, standard operating procedures (SOPs) are an essential task, which are binding for all MARK-AGE Beneficiaries. The SOPs cover all aspects of subject's recruitment, collection, shipment and distribution of biological samples (blood and its components, buccal mucosa cells or BMC and urine) as well as the anthropometric measurements and questionnaires.

Keywords: Biobank; Human studies; Standard operating procedures.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aging / blood*
Aging / urine*
Biomarkers / blood
Biomarkers / urine
Female
Humans
Male

Substances

Biomarkers