ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers say they have identified a phenomenon they call "immune youth" in some individuals over age 60, where their immune systems remain youthful. This discovery, published in Nature Aging , was led by Dr. Cornelia Weyand, a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist. Dr. Weyand says her team found this cellular fountain of youth in over 100 older patients with giant cell arteritis, an autoimmune disease affecting arteries. They discovered stem-like T cells within diseased tissues, which, while typically aiding growth, were contributing to the disease. "We observed that these patients have very young immune systems despite being in their 60s and 70s. But the price they pay for that is autoimmunity," Weyand said. Dr. Jörg Goronzy, a Mayo Clini

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