• You will stay enrolled in QSNAPS even if you do not participate in the BioAge Studies.
• If you do not want to provide any biological material (like blood or DNA), you do not have to.

DNA Collection

About half of QSNAPS respondents opted into the first round of the QSNAPS BioAge DNA collection. This involved self-collecting two cheek swabs and returning them via mail. The DNA in these samples was then extracted and frozen. About half of the samples we have received have been analyzed using a special process that helps us determine how much oxidative stress your DNA has experienced. This measure isn't clinically relevant to individuals — that is, it doesn't tell us if you're sick or not — but can be used along with all of the other samples to help us identify patterns in our population that predict faster or slower aging. From these data, we have been able to show that there are certain negative life experiences that can accelerate aging among LGBTQ+ people and other experiences, like support and affirmation of LGBTQ+ identities, that can help slow the aging process among LGBTQ+ people.

Blood Sample Pilot Study

In a second pilot study, we collected blood samples from a small number of QSNAPS participants (N=160) to assess acceptability of a new method of self-collection of blood samples at home. Blood samples still provide some of the best markers of health and aging that researchers can study. Here, we used a self-collection device called a Tasso Button that can be mailed to participants so that you don't have to travel to a lab or have someone visit your home to draw blood. An additional up-side of this method of collection is that it is as close to painless as blood collection can get! We're excited to be able to expand this to all participants in the near future!