PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) – Florida scientists are studying the genetic makeup of centenarians to develop new drugs that could delay or possibly even reverse age-related diseases.

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute and Albert Einstein College of Medicine will share a $9 million grant from the National Institute on Aging.

According to a statement from Scripps, a five-year study will focus on individual genetic differences that could contribute to new therapeutic approaches targeting the aging process itself.

Scripps researcher Paul Robbins says researchers will study “natural longevity mutants” – people who live to age 100 or older without suffering from diseases that trouble other people starting in middle age.

The number of U.S. residents over 65 is expected to double over the next 20 years, adding urgency to the search for new healthy aging strategies.