Dr. Gil Atzmon
Gil Atzmon, Ph.D. is the BOD Chief Scientist in Genetics at PerMe DNA Profile and Associate Professor of Medicine and Genetics at the University of Haifa and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with over 20 years of experience in human genetics, aging, and longevity research.
He is recognized as a pioneering genetic researcher who has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the role of epigenetics in diseases, aging, and longevity. His work forms the cornerstone of genetic methodologies at both institutions’ aging research programs.
As the BOD Chief Scientist in Genetics at PerMe DNA Profile since 2021, Gil leads the genetic research initiatives for this revolutionary deep-tech digital health platform, which is developing disruptive innovations in home DNA testing. The company is working to democratize DNA testing through affordable, lab-free devices that convert biological data from saliva samples into digital output, providing personalized healthcare recommendations in real-time.
At the University of Haifa, he directs the Laboratory of Genetics and Epigenetics of Aging and Longevity, where his team uses advanced bioinformatics tools to uncover the secrets of longevity by examining genetic markers and age-related pathogenic mutations in centenarians. His recent breakthrough research identified a mutation in the growth hormone receptor gene that promotes longevity, increasing men’s lifespan by an average of 10 years. Read Genetic mutation encourages longevity in men.
Gil has published over 150 scientific articles in leading journals and has been invited to present his work at numerous international scientific conferences. According to ResearchGate, he has been cited over 30,600 times and has contributed to 385 publications. He is the editor of the influential book Longevity Genes: A Blueprint for Aging, which explores genetic and genomic elements that maintain long life, including DNA damage mechanisms and epigenetics.
His landmark genome-wide association study (GWAS) of human extreme longevity, which aggregated data from four centenarian studies including 2,304 cases of extreme longevity and 5,879 controls, identified a locus in CDKN2B-AS1 that nearly reached genome-wide significance. Read Targeted Sequencing of the 9p21.3 Region Reveals Association with Reduced Disease risks in Ashkenazi Jewish Centenarians.
Since 2001, Gil has focused on the human genome and its impact on aging and longevity, with highlights including the identification of several longevity-associated genes that, in association with large lipoprotein particle sizes, may protect from diseases such as dementia, diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease.
Conducting genome-wide cytosine methylation studies using the HELPtag assay, he demonstrated at conferences as an invited speaker in Orlando, New York, Beer Sheva, Brooklyn, London, Toronto, Bethesda, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Honolulu that there are epigenetic differences between centenarian and control samples, showing that extremely old people share a common pattern of altered methylation. Using Sequenom’s MassARRAY technology, he validated candidate methylated loci results from whole-genome methylation scans and demonstrated expression differences in normal-aged versus long-lived individuals. Read Genetics, lifestyle, and longevity: Lessons from centenarians.
Gil earned his Ph.D. in Population Genetics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2001, where he completed his thesis in the Faculty of Agriculture. He earned his Master of Science in Biotechnology from The Hebrew University in 1995 and his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tel Aviv University in 1990. After earning his doctorate, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Human Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine from 2001 to 2004 under the mentorship of Prof. Nir Barzilai. He then joined the faculty and rose through the ranks.
Gil’s career at Albert Einstein College of Medicine spans over 15 years, where he progressed from Research Assistant (2004–2005) to Instructor (2005–2006), Assistant Professor (2006–2013), and Associate Professor (2013–2016) in the Division of Endocrinology, Departments of Medicine and Genetics. He is a member of the Institute for Aging Research (IAR) and the Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) at Einstein.
Between 2018 and 2020, he took a sabbatical leave at the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Mount Sinai. Since 2018, he has held a tenured Associate Professor position at the University of Haifa, where he had previously served from 2015 to 2018. Watch Scientists Discover a Key to a Longer Life in Male DNA.
Gil has been funded by prestigious institutions, including the NIH and the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), and is currently spearheading an ISF grant project (193/16) that meticulously examines the impact of epigenetic changes, particularly DNA methylation status, on the aging process and phenotype.
Currently, he explores healthy longevity-promoting loci using one of the best models for successful healthy longevity: the Israeli Multi-ethnic Centenarian Study. His 2024 study on genome integrity in 670 Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians, their progeny, and controls identified 12,166, 22,188, and 10,285 copy number variants, respectively, providing new insights into age-related genomic changes. Read Genome integrity as a potential index of longevity in Ashkenazi Centenarian’s families.
Gil serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including the International Journal of Case Reports and Images, Genes, Frontiers in Medicine: Longevity and Healthy Aging, and Ageing Research Reviews. He has served as an expert reviewer for many leading scientific journals on genetics and genomics. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Vetek Association – the Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life in Israel.
He possesses the ability to combine basic genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics tools to perform novel and state-of-the-art analyses that enhance understanding of genetics and age-related diseases. Among his most cited works is his 2010 publication on genetic variation in human telomerase associated with telomere length in Ashkenazi centenarians.
This study demonstrates that centenarians and their offspring maintain longer telomeres compared to controls, and that longer telomeres are associated with protection from age-related diseases. Read Genetic variation in human telomerase is associated with telomere length in Ashkenazi centenarians.
His collaborative research with Diddahally Govindaraju has shown that progeny of centenarians have lower levels of cardiovascular diseases and lipid abnormalities relative to their age-matched counterparts. Read Genetics, lifestyle and longevity: Lessons from centenarians.
Gil resides in the New York area while maintaining his research activities in both the United States and Israel. His laboratory at the University of Haifa actively seeks postdoctoral fellows and Ph.D. students to join his research team. His work continues to bridge the gap between basic genetic research and practical applications in personalized medicine, with a focus on translating discoveries about longevity genetics into therapeutic interventions. Read The Epigenetics of Aging and Longevity.
Watch Prof. Gil Atzmon – The role of epigenetics in the aging process, From Biology of Aging to Longevity And Quality of Life Conference, and Aging | Interview with Dr. Gil Atzmon.
Visit his LinkedIn profile, ResearchGate profile, Google Scholar page, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Faculty Page, University of Haifa Faculty Page, and his Laboratory Homepage. Follow him on Facebook and X.