Engy › Who's who in longevity › Joris Deelen
At a glance
- Dutch researcher who did his PhD at LUMC in Leiden (Leiden Longevity Study) and now leads a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne.
- First author of a large genetic meta-analysis (Nature Communications, 2019) that identified several genes linked to exceptional longevity.
- With colleagues, developed a metabolic profile of 14 blood markers that predicted mortality risk in 44,168 people; it later became the MetaboHealth score.
- Recent work shows the score is about 40% heritable, is influenced by frailty, BMI and smoking, and that a personalised version improves after a lifestyle intervention (BMC Medicine, 2026).
- Searches families with many very old members for rare gene variants, such as a reduced-function variant of the immune gene cGAS.
- Relevant because the work links ‘why do some families live longer?’ to a blood test that says something about your health in middle age — and that lifestyle can shift.
Recent
- Study Personal-MetaboHealth, an actionable health check in middle age, is improved by an effective lifestyle intervention in those at risk
- Study The MetaboHealth score is 40% heritable and is influenced by frailty status, BMI, and smoking in Swedish twins
- Study Rare longevity-associated variants, including a reduced-function mutation in cGAS, identified in multigenerational long-lived families
- Study Genetics of human longevity: From variants to genes to pathways