Supercentenarians Show High Levels of Cancer-Fighting Immune Cells

Researchers at the University of Osaka have discovered that people who live beyond 110, known as supercentenarians, possess an unusually high number of rare, cancer-fighting immune cells, offering a potential clue to their remarkable longevity. The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, found a marked increase in cytotoxic CD4 T cells, or CD4 CTLs, in the blood of supercentenarians compared to younger adults and even centenarians.

CD4 CTLs are a hybrid type of immune cell that not only helps coordinate the immune response but can also directly kill threats like viruses and cancerous cells. They are typically very rare in the human body. To investigate their role in extreme aging, the research team analyzed blood samples from 28 Japanese participants divided into three age groups: 8 people aged 70 to 99, 10 people aged 100 to 109, and 10 supercentenarians aged 110 and older.

The results showed a clear, age-related increase. The median proportion of CD4 CTLs was 4% in the youngest group, rose to 9.6% among centenarians, and reached 17.6% in supercentenarians, where the cells constituted nearly one-fifth of all T cells. Notably, one participant under 100 years old had the...