The Taizhou Longitudinal Study: a population-based biobank resource of genetic and biochemical biomarkers for precision medicine in China

Yanfeng Jiang; Linyao Lu; Zhenqiu Liu; Ziyu Yuan; Huangbo Yuan; Kelin Xu; Tiejun Zhang; Xiang Zhang; Min Fan; Yuguo Chen; Weimin Ye; Jiucun Wang; Ming Lu; Li Jin; Chen Suo; Xingdong Chen

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2026.02.004

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The Taizhou Longitudinal Study: a population-based biobank resource of genetic and biochemical biomarkers for precision medicine in China

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.02.004

a. State Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Human Phenome Institute, Research and Innovation Center, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, and National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China;
b. Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China;
c. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China;
d. Taizhou Disease Control and Prevention Center, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China;
e. Taixing Disease Control and Prevention Center, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225400, China;
f. Department of Emergency Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China;
g. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Institute of Population Medicine, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China;
h. Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China

Funds:

D Program of China (2024YFC3405800, 2023YFC3606300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82473700), Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (2023SHZDZX02).

The authors are grateful to all the participants in the Taizhou Longitudinal Study for their enthusiastic collaboration, the personnel from Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, the staff of Taizhou and Taixing Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) for their assistance in data collection. We acknowledge financial supports from the Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project (2023ZD0510000, 2025ZD0552008), Science and Technology Innovation 2030 Major Projects (2022ZD0211600), the National Key R&

Received Date: 2025-09-29
Accepted Date: 2026-02-02
Rev Recd Date: 2026-01-24

Available Online: 2026-02-09

Abstract

Abstract

The Taizhou Longitudinal Study (TZL) is a population-based prospective cohort initiated in 2007, recruiting over 201,000 adults aged 20 – 80 from urban and rural areas of Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, China. The cohort is extensively phenotyped through baseline questionnaire-based interviews, physical examinations, biochemical assays, and longitudinal follow-up using health records and repeated assessments. A wide range of biospecimens, including blood, urine, saliva, and feces, have been collected to enable omics-level profiling. Genome-wide genotyping has been performed for approximately 50,000 participants recruited from 2009 to 2014. Here, we present an integrated overview of the existing and planned genetic and phenotypic resources, describe genotyping and quality control procedures, and assess cryptic relatedness and population structure, followed by genome-wide association analyses of 66 physical and biochemical traits. In total, 533 independent loci reach Bonferroni significance after clumping. These analyses identify 55 previously unreported loci, demonstrating the capacity of the TZL to elucidate the genetic architecture of complex traits in East Asian populations. By integrating high-quality phenotypic and genotypic data, the TZL enables a comprehensive investigation of gene-environment interactions in Chinese population. With ongoing expansions and development of a controlled-access data-sharing platform, the TZL is positioned as a valuable resource for precision medicine and public health research.
- Cohort,
- biobank,
- genome-wide association study,
- biomarkers,
- Taizhou Longitudinal Study

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