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Archive for the ‘Age and Life Expectancy’ Category

Immuno-Timebombs: The Hidden Drivers of Age-Related Illness

Posted in Adaptive Immune Response to Biomaterials and Tissue Repair, Age and Life Expectancy, Autoimmune Inflammatory DIseases, Biomarkers: Inflammation, CANCER BIOLOGY & Innovations in Cancer Therapy, Cancer Vaccines: Targeting Cancer Genes for Immunotherapy, Cancer-Immune Interactions, Immune Engineering, Immune Modulatory, Immuno-Oncology & Genomics, Immunodiagnostics, Immunology, Immunotherapy, Infectious Disease Immunodiagnostics, Inflammasome, Inflammatory Pathophysiology, Innovation in Immunology Diagnostics, Innovations in Neurophysiology & Neuropsychology, Integrin-targeted Combination Immunotherapy, Metabolic Immuno-Oncology, Modulating Macrophages in Cancer Immunotherapy, Personal Health Applications: Tech Innovations serves HealhCare, Population Health Management, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, Population Health Management, Nutrition and Phytochemistry, Systemic Inflammatory Response Related Disorders, Tolerance-inducing Autoimmune Disease Therapeutics, Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Uncategorized, Universal Immune Cell Therapies (uICT), tagged , , , , on June 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Immuno-Timebombs: The Hidden Drivers of Age-Related Illness

Curator: Dr. Sudipta Saha, Ph. D.

 

There are two converging biological processes that drive most age-related diseases: immunosenescence and inflammaging. Together, they explain how a deteriorating immune system and chronic low-grade inflammation contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and frailty.

Immunosenescence refers to the waning competence of both innate and adaptive immune systems. With age, T and B cells become less effective, and macrophage function declines. This makes older individuals more susceptible to infections and less efficient at clearing dysfunctional cells.

Inflammaging, on the other hand, is the persistent presence of inflammation without infection. Factors like gut microbiome alterations, senescent cell accumulation, and epigenetic drift contribute to this condition. Over time, this “silent fire” damages tissues and lays the groundwork for disease.

These drivers don’t just correlate with disease—they often precede it. This positions inflammaging and immunosenescence as targets for prevention, not just treatment. Interventions like exercise, caloric modulation, and anti-inflammatory diets may attenuate their effects. Emerging therapies such as senolytics and immune rejuvenation approaches (e.g., thymic regeneration) are showing promise.

This article also calls for a paradigm shift in medical science—from reactive disease management to proactive longevity interventions. As we unravel the biological clocks of aging, strategies targeting immune recalibration may delay or prevent multiple diseases simultaneously.

The future of healthy aging may well depend on how early we can intervene in this immuno-inflammatory loop—before pathology sets in.

References:

https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-drivers-of-age-related-diseases

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0661-0

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761661

https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30184-4

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.579220/full

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9649506

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Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity: A 117-Year-Old Woman’s Genes Defied Aging

Posted in Age and Life Expectancy, Cognition, Epigenetics and Environmental Factors, Gene Editing Impact on Longevity, Genetics & Innovations in Treatment, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, Longevity, Medical and Population Genetics, Microbiologial genetics, Molecular Genetics & Pharmaceutical, Personal Health Applications: Tech Innovations serves HealhCare, Personalized and Precision Medicine & Genomic Research, Population genetics, Population Health Management, Population Health Management, Genetics & Pharmaceutical, Population Health Management, Nutrition and Phytochemistry, Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity: A 117-Year-Old Woman’s Genes Defied Aging

Curator: Dr. Sudipta Saha, Ph.D.

A recent study led by the University of Barcelona has shed light on the genetic factors contributing to exceptional human longevity. The research focused on Maria Branyas Morera, who was recognized as the world’s oldest living person until her passing at age 117 in August 2024. The findings revealed that her unique genetic makeup allowed her cells to function as if they were 17 years younger, and her gut microbiota resembled that of an infant.

Branyas Morera attributed her remarkable lifespan to “luck and good genetics.” Beyond her genetic advantages, she maintained a healthy lifestyle characterized by a Mediterranean diet, regular physical activity, and strong family bonds. These factors likely contributed to her prolonged cognitive clarity and minimal health issues, primarily limited to joint pain and hearing loss.

This study adds to a growing body of research exploring the genetic foundations of longevity. For instance, the Okinawa Centenarian Study has examined over 600 centenarians from Okinawa, Japan, uncovering genetic markers associated with extended lifespan and reduced incidence of age-related diseases.

Similarly, the New England Centenarian Study has identified specific genetic variations linked to longevity, providing insights into the biological mechanisms that allow some individuals to live significantly longer than average.

Researchers hope that understanding these genetic factors can inform the development of treatments for age-related diseases, challenging the notion that aging and illness are inextricably linked. By studying individuals like Branyas Morera, scientists aim to uncover strategies to promote healthier aging across the broader population.

However, it’s important to note that while genetics play a crucial role in exceptional longevity, lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and social connections also significantly impact overall health and lifespan. The interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental influences continues to be a critical area of research in understanding human aging.

References

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/13/supercentenarian-aging-genes-study?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/oct/13/why-everything-you-think-about-living-to-100-might-be-wrong?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/13/good-news-everyone-we-appear-to-have-reached-peak-longevity?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2016/07/12/the-possibility-of-rejuvenating-ageing-bodies-with-injections-of-blood-stem-cells-saved-from-birth-or-early-life-free-of-mutations-and-have-full-length-telomeres/
https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2015/11/29/nuts-and-health-in-aging/

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Contribution of Nervous System Functional Deterioration to late-life Mortality: The Role Neurofilament light chain (NfL) a Blood Biomarker for the Progression of Neurological Diseases and its Correlation to Age and Life Expectancy

Posted in Age and Life Expectancy, Alzheimer's Disease, Etiology, Innovations in Neurophysiology & Neuropsychology, Nervous System Function, tagged , , on February 19, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Contribution of Nervous System Functional Deterioration to late-life Mortality: The Role Neurofilament light chain (NfL) a Blood Biomarker for the Progression of Neurological Diseases and its Correlation to Age and Life Expectancy

 

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ati, PhD, RN

 

A neuronal blood marker is associated with mortality in old age

Nature Aging volume 1, pages218–225(2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) has emerged as a promising blood biomarker for the progression of various neurological diseases. NfL is a structural protein of nerve cells, and elevated NfL levels in blood are thought to mirror damage to the nervous system. We find that plasma NfL levels increase in humans with age (n = 122; 21–107 years of age) and correlate with changes in other plasma proteins linked to neural pathways. In centenarians (n = 135), plasma NfL levels are associated with mortality equally or better than previously described multi-item scales of cognitive or physical functioning, and this observation was replicated in an independent cohort of nonagenarians (n = 180). Plasma NfL levels also increase in aging mice (n = 114; 2–30 months of age), and dietary restriction, a paradigm that extends lifespan in mice, attenuates the age-related increase in plasma NfL levels. These observations suggest a contribution of nervous system functional deterioration to late-life mortality.

SOURCE

How long will a healthy older person live? A substance in blood may provide a clue

Author Published on

Levels of a substance in nonagenerians’ and centenarians’ blood accurately predict how much longer they’re going to live. The substance comes from the brain.

The findings, in a study published in Nature Aging, could prove useful in developing life-extending drugs. They also raise questions about the brain’s role in aging and longevity.

The study, conducted by Stanford investigators including neuroscientist Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, in collaboration with researchers in Denmark and Germany, zeroed in on a substance whose technical name is neurofilament light chain (abbreviated NfL). A structural protein produced in the brain, NfL is found in trace amounts in cerebrospinal fluids and blood, where it’s an indicator of damage to long extensions of nerve cells called axons.

Axons convey signals from one nerve cell to the next and are critical to all brain function. You’d rather they remain intact.

Too much NfL (different from the NFL)

High NfL levels in the blood have previously been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and other neurological disorders. But the people monitored in the new study were generally pretty healthy for their age.

The researchers first looked at 122 people whose ages ranged from 21 to 107, and found increasing blood levels of NfL — as well as increasing variation among individuals — with increasing age.

Next, the scientists followed the fates of 135 people age 100 or over for a four-year period. Most of those centenarians were in good shape to begin with, as shown by their performance on standard tests of mental ability and by a measure of their capacity to meet the routine demands of daily living.

Not unexpectedly, those whose mental tests indicated impairment had more NfL in their blood than those with the sharpest minds did. And those with low levels were substantially likelier to live longer than those with high levels.

A look at people in their 90s confirmed the findings in the over-100 group. Blood NfL levels among 180 93-year-olds not only predicted the duration of these folks’ survival, but did so better than mental or daily-coping test scores did.

The investigators showed that mice’s blood NfL levels, too, increase with age. But cutting their caloric intake, beginning in young adulthood — already known to prolong the lives of mice and numerous other species — chopped the little creatures’ blood levels of this substance in half in old age. (This new finding doesn’t prove that lowering NfL blood levels causes increased longevity, but it’s consistent with it.)

Tie to life expectancy?

At a minimum, NfL appears to accurately flag mortality’s approach. That means it might be possible to monitor it as a surrogate marker for remaining life expectancy, much as blood cholesterol levels are used as proxies for cardiovascular health. If so, it could someday help drug developers assess life-extending interventions’ efficacy.

Clinical trials of interventions believed to enhance longevity have been impractical, because it would almost certainly take so long to get a statistically significant result that such trials would be hugely expensive — a major hang-up for pharmas considering investment in longevity drugs. But monitoring a proxy such as NfL could cut years off of such trials’ duration, perhaps encouraging drug developers to dive into the clinical arena with life-prolonging pharmacological candidates.

Possibly most intriguing of all: The new findings hint that maintaining a healthy brain in old age is the best route to a long life.

“It will be interesting to see how and why the brain might be so important in counting down our final years and months,” Wyss-Coray told me.

Photo by Pablo Bendandi

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