Science is one step closer to cracking the code of longevity thanks to a new study that identified dozens of proteins linked with slower aging in the blood of centenarians.

Scientists in Switzerland collected and compared blood samples from healthy younger individuals aged 30 to 60, hospitalized octogenarians aged 80 to 90, and centenarians aged 100 years and older, assessing how the expression of plasma proteins evolves and affects metabolism, immunity, and overall lifespan.

Of the more than 700 proteins measured, 37 formed a profile that was “closer to those of the youngest group than to those of octogenarians,” says Flavien Delhaes, cell physiologist at the University of Geneva and the study’s first author.