Luca Deiana is a professor of clinical biochemistry at Sassari University, on the Italian island of Sardinia. Dubbed a “Blue Zone” by researchers, the average life expectancy of this area is 82 years, with 22 people out of every 100,000 living past 100. As a result, Dr Deiana has been studying its residents for years, hoping to unlock the secret to their longevity.
It was revealed during Amazon Prime’s “Steps to the Future” how he identified the same protein time and time again.
The narrator explained in 2010: “This is Marianna Ferreri, 101 years old, proudly displayed behind her are photos of her parents and grandparents.
“All of them have reached very old ages.
“Professor Deiana revealed to us that by studying the blood of the Sardinian centenarians he recently discovered proteins which have a vital role in longevity.”
Dr Deiana identified the protein in Sardinians (Image: AMAZON/WIKI)
Dr Deiana studied the population of Sardinia (Image: WIKI)
In the [Sardinian] subjects aged between 60 and 99 years, plasma TTR concentrations were higher
Luca Deiana
In 2015, Dr Deiana released a research paper, where he identified the protein to be transthyretin (TTR).
