title: The immunology of exceptional individuals: the lesson of centenarians.
abstract: Centenarians are the best example of successful ageing, since they have escaped the major age-associated diseases, and most are in good mental and physical condition. Here, Claudio Franceschi and colleagues discuss how the study of their immune systems reveals that several immune parameters are well conserved, suggesting that a complex remodelling of most immune parameters occurs with age, rather than a unidirectional deterioration.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, University of Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sansoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cossarizza
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*