Eline Slagboom

At a glance

• Eline Slagboom is a Dutch biologist and professor of molecular epidemiology at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). She specialises in familial longevity and ageing.
• She is one of the founders of the Leiden Longevity Study, which compares families with at least two siblings aged ninety or over with their partners.
• That study showed that the children of such families are already healthier in middle age, with a more favourable metabolism and less cardiovascular disease.
• Using data from tens of thousands of people, her group developed a score based on blood metabolites (metabolomics) that predicts mortality risk better than conventional risk factors.
• She leads the LUMC research profile on Ageing and chairs the Dutch Society for Research on Ageing (DUSRA).
• For longevity, her work helps explain which biological features mark healthy long life and how to measure them early.
• Takeaway: even without ‘longevity genes’, lifestyle and a healthy metabolism make a big difference.