People who reach 110 years of age and older maintain large populations of a rare type of cancer-killing immune cell, according to research reported by Nature. The killer T cells might help individuals reach extreme ages by fighting off tumors, though researchers noted this mechanism has not yet been proved.
Kosuke Hashimoto, a biologist and co-author of the study published in Cell Reports, said most research into immune ageing has historically focused on decline. Hashimoto noted the findings indicate that the human immune system can selectively adapt even at advanced ages.
Nature also reported advances in quantum software from Pasqal, a quantum computing start-up based in Paris. Pasqal researchers built an artificial intelligence tool designed to convert standard English-language prompts into executable quantum code. The system runs programs autonomously on quantum hardware, though it still requires human intervention in certain instances, according to an unreviewed preprint posted to arXiv.
Laboratory researchers separately maintained brain organoids for more than five years, marking the longest-lived lab-grown organs produced to date. Developmental neurobiologist Paola Arlotta stated that the organoids continued to mature over the five-year span, exhibiting gene-expression changes comparable to those observed in developing fetal and newborn brains. When researchers mixed older organoid cells into fresh batches, the mature cells retained a memory of their age and produced neurons tailored for older brain tissue.
Other initiatives highlighted by Nature include Australian trial programs for newborn genetic screening, which face cost constraints and scaling hurdles, alongside Springer Nature's Science in Shorts competition offering €5,000 prizes to eligible peer-reviewed authors ahead of a 2 December deadline.
