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Scientists at the Salk Institute delayed aging in mice by genetically engineering their cells to produce more of four molecules known as “Yamanaka factors,” which control how accurately DNA is copied and also foster the creation of stem cells.
Trying the technique with mice, the researchers found it had a rejuvenating effect on kidneys, skin, and the body as a whole. Also, injuries to the mice’s skin healed more quickly and with less scarring.
More broadly, the treated mice showed less susceptibility to the inflammation, physiological stress, and cellular “old age” common in aging animals, including humans.
The treatment caused no apparent negative side effects.
The “but”: the treatments were carried out for significant spans of the mice’s life and the treatment was only effective after a long time.
One group of mice was treated regularly for what, in humans, would have been the ages of 50 to 70; another group from the equivalent ages of 35 to 70; and a third group for the human analog of three years starting at what in people would have been age 80.
The 80-year-olds showed no effects. In the two other groups, the treatment began to show impacts only after it was more than halfway through its course.
TRENDPOST: Such long-term treatment may be impractical as a general age-defier for humans, but could become a treatment to restore failing organs instead of relying on transplants, with their attendant trauma, ongoing health risks, and costs.