Thomas Perls, M.D.

Dr. Perls is a physician and researcher in the study of aging at Boston University Medical School. As Associate Professor in Medicine and a Geriatrician he cares for older patients at Boston Medical Center. Since he first discovered that his centenarian patients were among his healthiest, Dr. Perls has become one of a handful of world’s experts studying these exceptional human beings. For the past seven years he has directed the New England Centenarian Study (NECS). Funded by The Institute for the Study of Aging, The Ellison Medical Foundation, The Alzheimer’s Association, and The National Institute on Aging, the NECS is the largest genetic and social study of centenarians and their families in the world.

Centenarians have a history of aging very slowly and have either markedly delayed or entirely escaped diseases normally associated with aging such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, stroke and heart disease. Dr. Perls and his colleagues recently discovered a key genetic region that plays a critical role in how centenarians age so well and live for such a long time. As a scientific founder of the biotechnology company Centagenetix, he is on the fast track to discovering these longevity enabling genes which could translate into the development of age-slowing and disease retarding drugs. Both USA Today and The New York Times have recognized Dr. Perls for the potential far reaching and dramatic impacts such discoveries could mean for baby boomers today and future generations.

Dr. Perls and his colleagues not only address the science of aging but also the social and environmental factors that contribute to aging well. Their health and wealth study dispels yet another myth, that getting to old age means living in destitution. In fact, the centenarians and their children enjoy life well within their means. Dr. Perls addresses how paying attention to your health and your wealth can reap amazing benefits that many people assume are not within our grasp.

With multiple publications and presentations, Dr. Perls and the centenarian subjects have garnered a great deal of media attention including appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, the Nightly News programs, Oprah! and National Public Radio. Findings from the study are presented in his book, Living to 100, Lessons in Maximizing Your Potential At Any Age. Centenarians represent a new paradigm of aging: The older you get, the healthier you’ve been. Though genetics plays an important role in getting to 100, the centenarian study and its collaborators show us that most people should be able to live to their late eighties in exceptional health. These 25 to 30 years beyond age 60 of good health could mean a gold mine of new possibilities and vast potential for today's baby boomers and future generations.

	For a full Press Kit, interviews or photos please contact:   Thomas Perls   thperls@bu.edu