Hi Reddit! I’m Ali Torkamani, Director of Drug Discovery at the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, CA. Edit: And Director of Genome Informatics My colleagues and I believe studying the genetics of healthy aging is potentially a powerful means for the identification of genetic mechanisms for resistance to age-associated disease. We recently completed a comprehensive whole genome analysis of healthy aging individuals and found that these individuals have lower overall genetic risk for Alzheimer’s and coronary artery disease, and that genetic factors for cognitive performance appear to be important for overall resistance to age-associated disease. Surprisingly, we found no decrease in the genetic risk for other common killers like cancer and diabetes, suggesting there are other hidden protective factors to be discovered. Here’s a summary! And a video! I’ll be back at 1 pm EST (10 am PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, ask me anything about genetics, genomics, healthy aging, and individualized medicine!