Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center received a $785,867 Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866), awarded June 1, 2026, with a completion date of May 31, 2031. This five-year research initiative investigates clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) in aging and exceptional longevity among older women, addressing a Notice of Special Interest in women's health research. The project leverages a large cohort of approximately 10,000 older women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), including roughly 7,000 participants with longitudinal CHIP sequencing data spanning 14-19 years. The research will supplement existing WHI CHIP resources by obtaining new baseline CHIP measures using highly sensitive targeted gene sequencing methodologies to examine the relationship between CHIP and multimorbidity, mobility impairment, and healthspan outcomes.

The primary deliverable is scientific knowledge regarding the epidemiology and mechanistic pathways through which CHIP influences chronic disease risk and healthy aging in older women. This research addresses critical gaps in understanding how age-related somatic mutations in blood cells contribute to disease development and functional decline, particularly in a population experiencing disproportionate burden of chronic conditions and years lived with impairment. The project utilizes the deeply phenotyped WHI cohort infrastructure maintained by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, which serves as the Clinical Coordinating Center for the Women's Health Initiative program under a separate $72 million indefinite delivery contract with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.