Scientists have deciphered the genome of a Dutch woman, who lived to 115 years
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Employees of the Free University of Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) decoded the genome of a Dutch woman, who lived to 115 years without any signs of senile dementia. A woman who died a few years ago, bequeathed her body to science.
Scientists expect that the deciphering of the genome of the long-liver will reveal genetic mechanisms that protected it from diseases associated with advanced age.
A preliminary report on the results of the complete decoding of the Dutch genome was presented at the annual conference of the American Society of Human Genetics in Montreal, Canada. The authors claim that they have already identified a number of mutations in women related to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, as well as atherosclerosis. A full interpretation of the data will be published later.
The message does not include the name of the woman whose genome became the subject of research by Dutch scientists. In the report presented in Montreal, it is mentioned under the code name W115. However, in previous publications devoted to the long-liver, her name was not hidden. Then it was reported that this was Henrikje van Andel-Schipper, born in 1890 and died in 2005. At the time of her death, Holland was recognized as the oldest inhabitant of the Earth.
Andel Schipper bequeathed her body to the University of Groningen at the age of 82, 29 years later, at 111 years old the woman called back to the university and reminded her of her will. At the age of 100 Andel-Schipper had surgery for breast cancer, the cause of her death at the age of 115 was recognized as stomach cancer.
The interest of geneticists and gerontologists towards Andel Schipper is explained by the amazing degree of preservation of the mental abilities of the long-liver. The results of tests on the mental functions that the woman went through at the age of 113 exceeded the average of 60 to 75-year-old patients. During the posthumous autopsy of Andel-Schipper's body, the University of Groningen staff found no evidence of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The signs of atherosclerotic lesions of the female brain were also minimal.
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