SHARE-DBS
SHARE Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Data
This project is supported by the US National Institute on Aging (R01 AG063944) and coordinated by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (PI Axel Boersch-Supan).
The Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) offers one of Europe's largest biomarker datasets for ageing research. It includes 21 blood-based biomarkers linked to metabolic health, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. Data comes from around 27,000 adults aged 50 and older, across twelve European countries.
This makes SHARE DBS data a key resource for researchers studying:
- Biomarkers of biological ageing
- Longevity and healthy ageing
- Cognitive decline and dementia risk
- Cross-national differences in health and health systems
What is a dried blood spot (DBS) sample?
A dried blood spot is a small drop of blood collected via finger-prick and dried on filter paper.
This minimally invasive method allows blood-based biomarkers to be collected during in-home survey interviews, at scale. It is a common method in large population studies of ageing.
Why blood biomarkers matter for ageing and longevity research
Blood markers give an objective measure of health that go beyond the behavioural markers normally collected in a large population survey like SHARE.
Blood-based biomarkers are considered a gold standard for objective health measurement, because they are not affected by cross-cultural differences in how people self-report their health. This makes DBS data especially valuable for identifying biological markers of ageing, chronic disease risk, and cognitive decline. It also means these markers can be compared consistently across countries and over time.
About SHARE biomarker data
SHARE collected DBS samples from about 27,000 respondents aged 50 and older, in twelve countries.
The samples have been assayed for a growing panel of biomarkers. These cover general health, metabolic function, and cognitive decline. They include a lipid panel and type-2 diabetes markers.
The biomarker results can be linked to SHARE's longitudinal data. This includes data on functional and subjective health, cognition, demographics, social circumstances, and economic status. This creates a unique resource for studying how biological ageing relates to life course and social factors.
21 biomarkers are now available, spanning metabolic health, inflammation, and neurodegeneration
- 7 biomarkers — released May 2024
- 14 additional biomarkers, analysed at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen — released April 2026
A full table of each biomarker, and the diseases it relates to, is provided in this publication.
| Type | Biomarker data available |
Set 1: Conventional blood biomarkers |
|
Set 2: Cytokines and apolipoproteins |
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Set 3: Biomarkers of neurodegeneration |
|
Which countries were sampled?
Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Slovenia and Israel.
How were the data collected?
Full documentation of the collection methodology, field-condition adjustments, and validation for the first seven biomarkers is available in:
Börsch-Supan et al. (2024). Biomarkers in SHARE: Documentation of implementation, collection, and analysis of dried blood spot (DBS) samples. NBER Working Paper No. w32764.
How do I access the data?
Data is free to access for non-commercial researchers.
- Register as a SHARE user — registration information
- Download the DBS data via the SHARE Research Data Center
Review the full release documentation on the project website.
