Molecular study of world’s oldest living person reveals new secrets of healthy ageing

What exactly is ageing? Can it be addressed in the same way as a disease? The study led by ICREA Research Professor Dr Manel Esteller has characterized one of the longest-lived person ever recorded, who far exceeded 117 years. The analysis used a multi-omic approach with genomic, proteomic, epigenomic, metabolomic and microbiomic technologies, and represents the most exhaustive study ever undertaken on a supercentenarian. The research shows that there is a fascinating duality: the simultaneous presence of signals of extreme ageing and of healthy longevity. Although the team detected unmistakable signs of ageing, such as very short telomeres and an aged population of B lymphocytes, the record-breaking supercentenarian also had genetic characteristics associated to neuroprotection and cardioprotection, genuinely low inflammatory levels, a microbiome dominated by beneficial bifidobacteria, and a biological age younger than her chronological age, as determined by epigenetic markers. Although it is still too early to link specific biological characteristics to specific habits, the researchers note that a healthy diet, a stimulating and diverse social network, and the absence of toxic habits are factors worth considering when explaining exceptional longevity. With this detailed perspective on extreme ageing, researchers worldwide will be able to better understand this natural process and to propose strategies to address it specifically. In fact, epigenetic therapies and drugs specifically designed to combat senescence already exist in the field of oncology, aspects that are directly related to biological ageing. Who knows if, in the future, those same tools will be responsible for pushing life expectancy forward once again, after its current plateau.