Ageing: Gene variant found in centenarians may be linked to longer lifespan

A rare variant of the SIRT6 gene increases DNA repair in human cells, and learning its effects could help to develop anti-ageing drugs



Health



31 January 2022

Sweet Happy birthday cake decorated with candle ready for party

A cake for a 100th birthday

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A rare gene variant identified in people who have lived to 100 or more appears to slow down the fundamental processes that cause ageing. The team behind the research says the findings could boost efforts to develop anti-ageing drugs.

Numerous animal studies have shown that the activity of a protein called SIRT6 is strongly linked with maximum lifespan. Vera Gorbunova at the University of Rochester in New York and her colleagues set out to find variants in the gene for SIRT6 that extend …