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(05/01/2025) VA South Texas researchers identified immune resilience, the capacity to resist disease despite aging and inflammation, during midlife as a driver of healthy aging and longevity. Analysis of data from 17,500 people across different life stages showed participants at age 40 with lower immune resilience had a mortality rate nearly 10-times higher than those with greater immune resilience. Higher immune resilience during midlife reduced mortality during that period by 69%, but mortality rates equalized by age 70, underscoring the importance of early midlife interventions to improve health and longevity. A key factor of immune resilience appears to be activation of the gene TCF7, which is essential for maintaining immune cell regeneration and reducing chronic inflammation, immune system decline, and cell death. The findings suggest treatments that target TCF7 and other genes that affect inflammation could help extend lifespan and keep people healthy longer. (Aging Cell, Apr. 23, 2025)