Natalie Coles

Natalie Coles is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the world’s oldest people,
the supercentenarians. In the early 2010’s she worked with her late husband, L.
Stephen Coles, MD, to interview, document and collect samples from
supercentenarians from around the globe. Dr. Coles founded the Gerontology
Research Group, an organization that validates and maintains a list of living
supercentenarians. Natalie and Stephen published the first and largest genome
analysis of a cohort of 17 supercentenarians. They also discovered that the
predominant cause of death among supers is an aggregate protein disease known as
TTR amyloidosis. Following Stephen’s untimely death in 2014, she has continued to
research and sample this unique population and has now established the largest
known cell bank of supercentenarian and familial cell lines. She regularly appears as
an invited expert speaker at longevity conferences and on aging and longevity related
podcasts.
Experience:
Gerontology Research Group: Chief Phlebotomist, 2006 - Present
Supercentenarian Research Foundation: Chief Phlebotomist, 2010 - 2014
Stanford Supercentenarian Project (with Prof. Leroy Hood), 2011 - 2014
UCLA Supercentenarian Project (with Prof. Steve Horvath), 2011 - 2014
Stealth Start-up: Chief Phlebotomist and Biobank Coordinator, 2022 - 2024