From a dollar pill that treats diabetes to a mysterious chemical unearthed on Easter Island, researchers are looking for ways to banish old age.
Many projects have focused on increasing the time a person is healthy, while others have offered the hope of rejuvenating cells so skin looks 30 years younger.
A promising anti-aging treatment could be a drug used in chemotherapy and a compound found in vegetables, which allowed mice to live longer, reduced the risk of disease and increased resistance.
Others have proposed stem cell injections to repair tissue, a pill that treats diabetes and restores certain body parts, among other things that could one day help humans retain their youthful glow.
From drugs that kill “aging” cells within the human body to a mysterious chemical discovered on Easter Island, researchers are looking for ways to banish old age.
“There are so many promising areas of aging research that it is difficult to single out which is the most important,” Andrew Steele, author of Ageless: The new science of getting old without Getting old, told DailyMail.com.
‘There are a lot of interesting ideas from the drawing board to clinical trials.
“However, the key message is that we just need more funding for this science. In the US, about $1 per person per year is spent on public funding for research into the biology of aging, even though age-related diseases such as cancer and dementia causes 85 percent of deaths in the United States.’
Medications that kill aging cells.
One of the most promising areas of anti-aging research is “senolytic” drugs that kill aging and senescent cells, Steele explained.
In the lab, mice given a senolytic cocktail of two compounds, dasatinib (a drug commonly used for chemotherapy) and quercetin (a “flavonoid” found in fruits and vegetables), became “younger.”
In the lab, mice given a senolytic cocktail of two compounds, dasatinib (a drug commonly used for chemotherapy) and quercetin (a “flavonoid” found in fruits and vegetables), became “younger.”
Mice with progeria were treated with gene therapy
“It’s been shown in the lab that the mice given it essentially made them biologically younger,” Steele explained.
‘They lived longer, had less cancer and heart disease, could run longer and faster on a treadmill and, frankly, looked fantastic: after treatment with senolytics, they had better coats, smoother skin, etc.’
«There are currently more than two dozen companies trying to turn this idea that works in mice into one that works in people. So watch this space!’
The ‘reset switch’ for human cells
Altos Labs is backed by $3 billion in cash from investors and is the largest biotech startup of all time, with 500 top employees and scientists paid a reported $1 million a year.
It’s backed by an investment from Jeff Bezos (Elon Musk joked on Twitter: ‘If it doesn’t work, he’ll sue to death!’), and aims to set up facilities in San Francisco and San Diego.
The Californian company focuses on cellular rejuvenation, seeking a “reset switch” for human cells.
In research conducted by Altos Labs Vice President Wolf Reik, researchers used genetic switches known as Yamanaka factors in skin cells from middle-aged people.
After the cells were grown in a lab dish, they were found to be 25 to 30 years younger.
Steve Horvath of Altos Labs said this year: “Today we see in some ways that it might be possible to make interventions that prolong our years of health.”
‘Many people follow influencers on social media who give lifestyle advice, from intermittent fasting to certain exercise routines.
“You may get five years or whatever number, but it won’t be 50. And a lot of people just can’t exercise or follow a healthy lifestyle, for whatever reason, and would like to have medications to help them.”
Altos Labs’ investigation is ongoing.
Stem cell injections
Several universities around the world are researching the effects of stem cells on aging, including China’s Sun Yat Sen University, the University of Tehran and Harvard.
Stem cells are cells that can become many different types of cells in the body.
As we age, stem cells may become worse at tissue repair, which can lead to inflammation and also increase the risk of cancer.
Cellcolabs injected entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who is spending millions in the quest to be “young again,” with young, healthy stem cells.
Companies like Cellcolabs are already marketing “young” stem cell injections to wealthy users.
Cellcolabs injected entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who is spending millions in the quest to be “young again,” with young, healthy stem cells.
“I am now made from young Swedish bone marrow after receiving an infusion of 100 million mesenchymal stem cells,” he said.
The $1 anti-aging pill
A series of trials in people aged 65 to 79 aim to measure the anti-aging effects of a drug, metformin, which has been used to treat diabetes for decades.
The TAME trial will enroll more than 3,000 older people to see if taking metformin has delayed the onset of age-related chronic diseases such as heart disease and dementia.
Metformin is already widely used for diabetes
Trials in mice showed that metformin increased life expectancy and “health expectancy” (the period in which animals remain healthy).
Since then, trials have shown that people who use metformin have a reduced risk of certain cancers, including blood and gastrointestinal cancers.
Researchers are particularly excited because metformin is widely used and safe, already approved by the FDA for use with diabetes and costing less than a dollar a day.
The Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) trial will follow thousands of patients for six years to monitor its effects.
Steven Austad, senior scientific advisor at the American Federation for Aging Research, said: “I don’t know if metformin increases people’s life expectancy, but the evidence that exists suggests that it very well could.”
The Easter Island drug
Among the most promising treatments being investigated for anti-aging use is a chemical discovered 50 years ago on Easter Island.
Rapamycin, produced by soil bacteria on the remote Pacific island, inhibits aging-related signals and has been shown to increase lifespan by 20% in yeast, 19% in worms, 24% in flies and 60% in mice, according to La lanceta.
Rapamycin originated on Easter Island (pictured)
Originally approved as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients, the drug is now being tested in dogs, along with research in humans.
The Dog Aging Project is currently running TRIAD (Trial of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs) on family pets to measure their anti-aging effects.
Diet restriction and human cells.
Following a calorie-restricted diet can extend lifespan, several trials have shown, and ongoing research at Penn State University may determine exactly how long.
According to previous research, restricting calories by 20% to 60% has been shown to promote longer life in many animals.
Andrew Steele is the author of Ageless
Research has focused on telomeres, a region of DNA located at the end of chromosomes.
Throughout the human life, every time a person’s cells replicate, some telomeres are lost when chromosomes are copied into the new cell.
After cells replicate enough times, the protective layer of telomeres completely dissipates.
Lead author Waylon Hastings said there are many reasons why calorie restriction may prolong human lifespan, and the topic is still being studied.
“One of the main mechanisms by which life is prolonged is related to the metabolism of a cell,” Hastings explained.
When energy is consumed within a cell, the waste products of that process cause oxidative stress that can damage DNA and degrade the cell.
“However, when a person’s cells consume less energy due to calorie restriction, there are fewer waste products and the cell does not break down as quickly.”
The researchers aim to re-evaluate their study group after 10 years to measure the impact of calorie restriction on human telomeres.