USP Study Finds Brazil’s Supercentenarians Hold Unique Genetic Clues to Extreme Longevity

Overview

• Published January 6 in Genomic Psychiatry, the study analyzed more than 160 centenarians, including 20 validated supercentenarians from diverse regions and backgrounds.
• Researchers report at least 163 candidate protective variants and corroborate mechanistic hypotheses with cellular function assays.
• Distinctive immune signatures include CD4+ cells with CD8-like cytotoxic profiles and preserved proteasomal activity in blood lymphocytes at youthful levels.
• Three unvaccinated Brazilian supercentenarians who caught COVID-19 in 2020 showed strong neutralizing IgG responses and innate defense markers.
• Context from prior Brazilian genomic work includes roughly 2 million previously undescribed variants, more than 2,000 mobile-element insertions, and over 140 novel HLA alleles, supporting the case for broader inclusion of Brazil’s highly admixed population.