Children who seem to evade aging: syndrome X

Layla Qualls looks like a happy, 9- to 10-month-old baby— but she’s actually three years old. The Oklahoma girl was diagnosed with Syndrome X, which means she will never age. Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles studied Layla as one of seven children found worldwide with Syndrome X to understand the extremely rare condition, News9.com reported. They hoped to find the condition’s genetic blueprint to see which genes are slowing down the aging process. Using a biomarker of aging known as epigenetic clock, their study concluded that the blood of Syndrome X children does not look younger than that of a normal child, but the research won’t stop there. "It would have been nice to say we found a footprint of the mechanism that could explain that condition," study author Dr. Steve Horvath told News9.com. "As a researcher you need to continue searching." Scientific Article mentioned in the story: Walker RF et al (2015). "Epigenetic age analysis of children who seem to evade aging" Aging (Albany NY) Volume 7. May 2015 http://www.impactaging.com/papers/v7/...