“Incredible” breakthrough in the fight against aging

Scientists working on an experimental anti-aging drug claim to have broken the record by extending the life of a lab rat named Sima.

The female rat was named “Sima” after the Hindi word for “border” or “boundary”. Washima is the last survivor of a group of rodents who were injected with blood plasma from young animals to see if the treatment would prolong their lives.

Scientists say Sima, born February 28, 2019, lived to be 47 months old, surpassing 45.5 months, which is considered the oldest age recorded in the scientific literature for a female Sprague Dawley rat. So far, Seema has outlived her nearest competitor in the study by about six months.

“We have the largest surviving female Sprague Dawley rat,” said Dr. Harold Kutcher, a former professor of biology at the University of Maryland and now chief scientist at California-based startup Yuvan Research.

Scientists rushed to produce and test treatments based on young blood plasma after several trials showed that injections could revitalize aging organs and tissues.

But while studies have shown benefits for rodents, there is no evidence yet that this “vampire” approach to youth will help humans avoid aging, although Silicon Valley scientists are optimistic about the results.

The results of the latest Catcher study will be published when Sima dies, but the data collected so far shows that eight rats given a placebo injection of saline lived 34 to 38 months, and eight rats received a purified and concentrated form of blood plasma. . , named E5., lived from 38 to 47 months. The scientists also documented an improvement in grip strength.

Rats typically live two to three years, although the biggest competitor of all is the brown rat, which survives on a calorie-restricted diet for 4.6 years.

“The real goal of our experiments is not to prolong life, but to prolong youth, rejuvenate people and make their golden years really like that, and not years of pain and degradation,” Kutcher said. you can do it, you can also do it.” Not a bad side effect.”

A preliminary study, a collaboration between Kutcher and experts at the University of California, Los Angeles, showed that infusion of young blood plasma resets the biological clock in rats in the liver, blood, heart, and an area of ​​the brain called the hypothalamus.

A potential treatment patent application describes how small mammalian plasma is purified and concentrated prior to use. Some components, such as platelets, are removed because they can trigger immune responses.

The patent identifies pigs, cattle, goats, sheep and humans as potential donors. He states that the amount of plasma needed to produce one concentrated dose is at least equal to the amount of the recipient in the whole body.

If the treatment shows promise in humans (larger trials in more animals are needed first), Kutcher thinks plasma can be collected from pigs in slaughterhouses.

Source: Guardian