Longevity & AgingHow Centenarians Resist Aging at the Systems Level
Aging is not simply a linear decline — it emerges from complex interactions among genomic instability, telomere shortening, loss of protein quality control, mitochondrial dysfunction, and immune system deterioration. A new review from Sapienza University of Rome argues that understanding aging requires a systems-level view, where all these hallmarks interact rather than operate independently. The authors highlight centenarians — people who live past 100 — as a natural experiment in successful aging. These individuals appear to maintain a favorable balance between damage accumulation and biological repair through coordinated genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, and immune adaptations. The review also surveys key animal models used to study aging, noting what each contributes to understanding conserved versus species-specific mechanisms. The overarching message: shifting the damage-repair balance toward repair is the key to extending healthy lifespan.
