{
  "id": 3271334,
  "title": "People who live past 110 have an unusual abundance of killer immune cells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/people-who-live-past-110-have-an-unusual-abundance-of-killer-immune",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-25T04:07:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ScienceDaily Health",
    "slug": "sciencedaily-health",
    "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260823014950.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Research published in Cell Reports suggests that supercentenarians, individuals who reach age 110 or beyond, have an unusual abundance of specialized immune cells called CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4 CTLs). These cells may help protect these individuals from age-related challenges and potentially contribute to their exceptional longevity. The study found that the proportion of CD4 CTLs increased as participants aged, from 4% in those aged 70-99, to 9.6% in those aged 100-109, and 17.6% in individuals aged 110 and older. This expansion of CD4 CTLs may begin around age 100, with one participant younger than 100 having the highest concentration observed. The researchers believe that clonal expansion, where immune cells make copies of themselves to respond to threats, plays a role in this phenomenon. Interestingly, one centenarian had a single clone that made up 53.8% of all CD4 CTLs in their blood sample. The study also found that these CD4 CTLs may recognize cancer-related targets, although the exact targets are unknown. The researchers propose that the expansion of these immune cells could reflect early responses to abnormal or potentially cancer-related targets, although the findings do not establish a direct link between high CD4 CTL levels and protection against cancer or longer lifespan. As some CD4 CTLs may recognize cancer-related targets, their presence could reflect the immune system's ability to adapt and respond to abnormal or potentially cancerous cells. However, more research is needed to fully understand the role of CD4 CTLs in extreme old age and their potential impact on overall health and longevity.",
  "summary": "People who reach 110 and beyond appear to have unusually large numbers of rare immune cells capable of killing abnormal cells. These CD4 cytotoxic T cells became more common with age and often expanded into large groups of nearly identical cells, suggesting the immune system was repeatedly responding to persistent threats.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ScienceDaily",
        "title": "People who live past 110 have an unusual abundance of killer immune cells",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/people-who-live-past-110-have-an-unusual-abundance-of-killer-immune-3273222",
        "published": "2026-08-25T04:07:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}