Katherine Bourzac in Nature:
People who live to 110 years and older have large populations of a rare type of immune cell that can kill cancer1, finds a study published today in Cell Reports. It is possible that such cells, called killer T cells, might help people to live to extraordinarily long ages by fighting off cancer — although the authors of the study acknowledge that this has yet to be proved, and so far, they aren’t sure exactly what these cells do.
Supercentenarians — people aged 110 and older — not only enjoy unusually long lives but they also seem to fend off diseases of old age including heart disease, dementia and cancer. Researchers hope that studies of supercentenarians’ immune systems might help them to understand why these rare individuals live such healthy lives, and provide clues to help everyone stay healthy longer. “Most of immune ageing research has focused on decline,” says co-author Kosuke Hashimoto, a biologist at the University of Osaka, Japan. “Our study suggests that even at extreme old age, the immune system may still selectively adapt.”
More here.
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