Gene variant found in centenarians appears to slow the ageing process

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 human lifespan.

They compared the gene sequences in…