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Comprehensive Biological Data in NCHAT BIO: Chronic Stress, Inflammation, and Epigenetic Aging

Award Number: R01AG096920
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2030

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Comprehensive Biological Data in NCHAT BIO: Chronic Stress, Inflammation, and Epigenetic Aging - Many health conditions are preventable and identifying their causes and underlying mechanisms is of high scientific priority. Critically, data on biological mechanisms linking stress and health across and within couples in the US are limited. We will assess inflammation via serum interleukin(IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). Low-grade, chronic inflammation is implicated in age-associated frailty, morbidity, mortality, and accelerated epigenetic aging.36 Epigenetic age, is a highly novel and robust predictor of multiple diseases, longevity, and all-cause mortality. Examining epigenetic clocks through DNA methylation offers a cutting-edge approach allowing us to answer critical questions: Does stress accelerate aging? Can exposure to stressors propel molecular aging and shorten health span (the length of time that a person is healthy—not just alive)? Capitalizing on a time-sensitive, unparalleled opportunity to add biological data collection to the National Couples’ Health and Time Study (NCHAT) to create additional data for the NCHAT Stress Biology Study (NCHAT-BIO), we aim to fill these empirical gaps. Funded by NIH, NCHAT is the only longitudinal, probability, population-representative study (N = 3,642, ages 22-67, 50% women) of coupled adults with comprehensive psychosocial measurement. This project advances innovative health research by combining survey data on stressor exposures, psychological health, and health behaviors with biological data from an estimated 2000 of NCHAT’s respondents. Aim 1: Delineate differences in epigenetic aging and inflammation in different types of couples. Aim 2: Determine effects of life stressors on epigenetic aging and inflammation in different types of couples. Aim 3: Identify modifiable factors linking stressor exposures with epigenetic aging and inflammation in individuals in different types of couples. Couples experiencing chronic stressors face significantly greater risk for chronic health conditions than those without chronic stressors. The biological underpinnings of these group differences have been minimally studied representing an unacceptable gap in knowledge. This study offers the remarkable opportunity to examine epigenetic aging and inflammation in a large, US-representative sample of couples, permitting crucial tests of mechanisms linking stress and health. This research promises to uncover modifiable treatment targets to address the link between stress and physical health outcomes. The resultant assays will be publicly available to other researchers via ICPSR offering an unrivaled resource for future researchers. By leveraging NCHAT to create NCHAT-BIO, this is a singular and time urgent opportunity.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $1,506,680 )
2026	2026	OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	1960 KENNY RD	COLUMBUS	OH	43210	FRANKLIN	USA	Aging Research	000	2	8/6/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,506,680
														Subtotal = $1,506,680

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $1,391,989 )
2025	2025	OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	1960 KENNY RD	COLUMBUS	OH	43210	FRANKLIN	USA	Aging Research	000	1	8/29/2025	NEW	$1,391,989
														Subtotal = $1,391,989

Grand Total All Awards = $2,898,669

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Comprehensive Biological Data in NCHAT BIO: Chronic Stress, Inflammation, and Epigenetic Aging

Award Number: R01AG096920

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2030

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