Overview
- University of São Paulo researchers report an active nationwide cohort of more than 160 centenarians, including 20 validated supercentenarians, drawn from diverse regions.
- Genomic surveys in Brazilians have identified over 8 million previously undescribed variants, pointing to potential protective alleles overlooked by current global databases.
- Multi-omics and single-cell analyses highlight preserved proteasome and autophagy activity in extreme old age along with notable expansions of cytotoxic CD4+ T cells.
- Three Brazilian supercentenarians survived COVID-19 in 2020 before vaccines, mounting robust IgG and neutralizing antibody responses in immunology assays.
- The team is conducting whole-genome sequencing, deriving cellular lineages, and expanding immunology work as it calls for international recruitment and funding to include admixed populations.