Scientists Study Rio de Janeiro’s Brazilian Sisters To Uncover Longevity Secrets From DNA

Three Brazilian sisters—Zoraide de Deus Mota, Zulina de Deus Nunes, and Levita de Deus Nunes—recognized as the world’s oldest living trio of sisters, are being studied in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of the DNA Longevo Project.

“Brazilian Sisters Unveil the Secret to Longevity Three Brazilian sisters with a combined age of 316 have been declared the oldest living trio by Guinness”

Devdiscourse

The project is led by scientist Mayana Zatz from the University of Sao Paulo, and it aims to uncover the secret to their longevity by comparing their DNA to others, including people who experience frailty and chronic diseases.

Devdiscourse

On June 23, 2026, Reuters reported that a nurse, Mariana Tavares, collected blood from Zoraide de Deus Mota and Zulina de Deus Nunes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for genetic studies on longevity.

Reuters also described researcher Mateus Vidigal collecting a saliva sample from Zulina de Deus Nunes on June 23, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for genetic studies on longevity.

The sisters’ combined age is 316, and Guinness has recognized them as the oldest living trio of siblings, according to Devdiscourse.

Zatz’s team is comparing long-lived individuals with those who experience frailty and chronic diseases, and it seeks to identify protective genes that may contribute to longevity.

In a statement carried by South China Morning Post, Zatz said, “Through DNA testing, we look for protective genes, and we know there are several of them,” while coordinating the university’s Human Genome Research Centre.

DW

EurekAlert! described a Viewpoint published in Genomic Psychiatry that draws on ongoing research with a national long-lived cohort and argues that most genomic data sets lack adequate representation of admixed populations.

EurekAlert! quoted Mateus Vidigal de Castro saying, “This gap is particularly limiting in longevity research, where admixed centenarians may harbor unique protective variants invisible in genetically more homogeneous populations,” as the study frames Brazil’s genetic diversity as a key resource.

EurekAlert! also said the longitudinal study encompasses more than 100 centenarians, including 20 validated supercentenarians, spread across several Brazilian regions.

The Viewpoint described in EurekAlert! says supercentenarians’ peripheral blood lymphocytes maintain proteasomal activity comparable to that of much younger individuals, and it adds that autophagy mechanisms remain functional and upregulated.

EurekAlert! also reported that single-cell transcriptomic analyses revealed a marked expansion of CD4+ cytotoxic T cells adopting transcriptional programs typically associated with CD8+ lymphocytes, a profile described as virtually absent in younger controls.

DW’s account of the Genomic Psychiatry work says Brazil’s longevity research is beginning to gather biological evidence and points to a genomic study of more than 1,000 Brazilians over 60 that found 2 million new genetic variants.

DW further states that three Brazilian supercentenarians survived COVID-19 in 2020, before vaccines arrived, developing high levels of neutralizing antibodies and markers of an effective innate immune response.

EurekAlert! likewise said the cohort included Sister Inah, recognized as the world’s oldest person until her death on April 30, 2025 at the age of 116, and it described the cohort as including the two oldest living men in the world, both aged 112.