The latest news from Lifelines

Lifelines welcomes a new generation of participants

For the first time in 20 years, Lifelines is expanding its cohort on a large scale. By adding a newgeneration, we can follow health within families across more generations and over a longer period.

Lifelines appoints Baukje Boertien as General Director

As of May 1, 2026, Baukje Boertien MSc MBA will take up the position of General Director of Lifelines. With her appointment, Lifelines brings in an experienced executive with a broad background in both healthcare and data. Together with Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Debbie van Baarle, she will form the executive board of the long-term population health study.

20 Years of Lifelines: a research resource built for the long run

Lifelines marks 20 years as a longitudinal cohort supporting research on health, lifestyle, genetics and environment across generations.

How combinations of chronic diseases influence frailty progression in older adults

A study conducted with Lifelines data shows that specific combinations of chronic diseases influence frailty progression and mortality risk in older adults.

Why do some people get chills from music or art? Genetics may play a role

New research using LifeLines data shows that genetic variation contributes to why some people experience chills from music and art.

From user to insider: What working inside Lifelines taught me

Researchers usually encounter Lifelines at a very specific moment: when the data have been made available for analysis. At that point, Lifelines appears as a resource—large, well-curated and ready to use. What remains largely invisible is the organisational effort required to make your data release possible.

Participation in Lifelines led to the discovery of a rare blood disorder in Cisca (75)

Participation in Lifelines led to the discovery of a rare blood disorder in Cisca (75) “You think this only happens to the neighbors. But the neighbors have neighbors too.”

Newest publications based on Lifelines data

In the last quarter of 2025, numerous interesting publications have appeared. Look at the overview here.

Millions in funding for collaborative cohort studies on healthy ageing

Lifelines is a partner in the Netherlands Cohort Consortium (NCC), which receives a grant of more than 17 million euros from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Prof. dr. Debbie van Baarle as new scientific director of Lifelines

We are pleased to share that Prof. Dr. Debbie van Baarle is our new Scientific Director as of September 1st. She succeeds Prof. Jochen Mierau, who left Lifelines on September 1, 2025.

Multilingualism and Cognition: Exploring Cognitive Aging with Lifelines Data

How does speaking multiple languages relate to cognitive functioning in later life? Floor van den Berg, linguist and researcher, tackled this question using our Lifelines cohort.

Trynke de Jong new Manager Biosamples & Data Access at Lifelines

We are proud to announce the appointment of Trynke de Jong as the new Sharing Manager at Lifelines. Trynke started her career at Lifelines 6.5 years ago as project leader and has since played an important role in promoting scientific research and collaboration.

Add-on Gut Health (DAG5)

A selection of Lifelines participants will also be invited for an additional study on gut health: DAG5.

ActiveLIFE

A new study will soon start using a small activity tracker placed on your thigh. The study is an initiative of Radboud UMC and is supported by the Heart Foundation and the Brain Foundation.

Community Event 2024: Current health issues call for interdisciplinary collaboration

The Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health and Lifelines are organising the Lifelines Researchers Community Event on 10 October. The aim of the event is to promote interaction between researchers from different disciplines and exchange knowledge. Jochen Mierau, scientific director of Lifelines, looks ahead to the event.

High Prevalence of Lung Nodules in Northern European Nonsmokers

A recent study in Northern Europe found that lung nodules are prevalent in nearly half of nonsmoking men and over a third of nonsmoking women, raising concerns about lung health management in this traditionally low-risk group.

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