L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano FRANCESCA BEZZONE A handful of days ago British company Tiziana Life acquired some very important Italian stuff: genes. Let me explain you better: Tiziana Life bought a genetic databank containing DNA sam- ples of 13.000 inhabitants of the Ogliastra region, in the South East of breathtaking Sardinia. The databank is considered of enormous s cientific interes t because Ogliastra people are among the most longevous in the world. A British company with an Italo-American heart Even though it largely oper- ates in the UK, Tiziana Life is the brainchild of 40 year old Italo-American entrepreneur Gabriele Cerrone, who today also acts as its CEO. The compa- ny dedicates most of its efforts to oncological and immunological research and has already reached some notable results, including a pos s ible alternative to chemotherapy for the treatment of liver cancer. The bio-tech firm obtained the Ogliastra genetic databank for around 300.000 Euro (rough- ly 330.000 USD) after its former owner, Sharna S.p.a., a similar Italian firm, went bankrupt. Why did Cerrone show such an inter- est for a set of DNA samples and why should they become rele- vant to the work of his compa- ny? Ogliastra and the secret of (an almost) eternal life The answer is simple: people in the O glias tra region live longer than anyone else. In fact, they have 50% more probability of reaching 100 than American and British citizens and it has been estimated that 1 in 2000 residents (the whole area counts around 260.000 inhabitants) hap- pily manages to enjoy a cake sporting 100 candles. That Sardinia is a special area of Italy, different in many ways from the rest of the country, is w ell know n and accepted: Sardinia's language, its people's habits and mores are their own and their own only, in a way that charms and intrigues all at once. It is also very much common knowledge that Sardinians live longer than anyone else in the country – and that is quite amaz- ing as a feat, considering Italy is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the entire world. Cerrone and his scientists are not the first to show a scientific interest in Sardinia's spectacu- larly long living people: the ease with which they appear to live well into their 10th decade has been puzzling scientists for quite sometime. Up to relatively recently, however, lifestyle – healthy eat- ing, a life mostly spent working in the fields and enjoying strong familial bonds – had been con- sidered the reason behind it, whereas today many believe there may be also a genetic sub- stratum underneath it all. And that Ogliastra's people's genes must be out of the ordi- nary is demonstrated by the fact that, in spite of representing a relatively small and isolated community sharing a limited genetic pool, no significant inci- dence of genetic diseases and ill- nesses is recorded in the area. The people of Tiziana Life may be really be on to some- thing. Wh at's in s id e th e d ata- bank? The databank does not only contain the genetic profiles of thousands of Ogliastra locals: the Osservatorio Malattie Rare has underlined in an article how Italian researchers who started Sardinian traditional costumes are one of the most typical Sardinian folklore is striking for the variety, richness and beauty the project have also catalogued and matched current residents with their genetic ancestors back to 400 years ago. In other words, these people's genetic map goes now back 4 centuries. This is of incredible importance for res earch, as there are good chances to understand whether a genetic modification justifying the area's longevity exists. Th e fu tu re of th e Olgiastra's databank In truth, not everyone in Sardinia was too keen on the fact the Olgiastra database had been bought by a foreign com- pany, however, sceptics need not to w orry, as T iz iana L ife as already created an Italian sub- s idiary firm, the L onG evia Genomics S.r.l., which will be responsible to oversee and direct research directly on Italian soil. The idea that a genetic pecu- liarity could help us keep healthy and live a longer life is certainly fascinating and gives up hope for the future, but should we not simply take a leaf off our grandparents and great- grandparents' book and also try to tackle life a bit differently? Eat well, enjoy nature and never forget to have a good laugh and hug a friend: who know s , maybe the s ecret of longevity is as simple as that. Is Sardinia the Haven of Eternal Life? LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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