A cure for old age? Scientists are testing a new drug that can increase life expectancy up to 120 years

Next year in the UK, scientists will test a new longevity drug that they say could extend the lifespan of some people up to 120 years.

Researchers are developing a treatment that could significantly increase a person’s healthy lifespan, and therefore lifespan, by boosting the immune system. This became possible after they found a way to slow down – and perhaps even prevent – the natural aging of T cells, an important part of our immune system.

Experts have warned that it will be several years before an effective longevity drug is available, and there is no guarantee of success as the project is still in its early stages.

But scientists are thrilled by the discovery, especially since it holds the promise of adding years and possibly decades to a person’s healthy life expectancy, as an aging immune system greatly impairs the body’s ability to fight disease as we age.

Scientists say extending healthy human lifespan is an important public health goal because our so-called “lifespan” has not kept pace with increases in lifespan.

The discovery greatly expanded scientific understanding of telomeres, the protective cap at the ends of immune cells that gradually shorten over time until they are no longer protective. At this point, the cell stops functioning and the immune system weakens a bit.

With this new discovery, lead researcher Professor Alessio Lanna of University College London has developed a treatment that significantly slows the rate at which the protective cap in live mouse and human T cells wears out in the lab.

He hopes the treatment will “slow down or cure aging.” Essentially, this involves taking proteins from the protective caps of cells in other parts of the body where they are less important, and using them to reinforce the protective caps in immune T cells, which are extremely valuable and whose protective caps are constantly wearing out and need to be renewed. be replaced. rebuilt.

Treatment, which can be given in the form of a drug or vaccine, can also reduce the risk of age-related diseases and chronic infections as you age.

“We believe that using this discovery could extend the lifespan of the immune system and allow people to live healthier and longer lives.” And it would also be clinically useful in diseases like cancer and dementia,” said Professor Lanna.

“Immune cells are constantly on the alert, always ready to fight pathogens. But to be effective, they also need to stay in the body for decades,” he said.

Dr Marina Ezcurra, professor of aging biology at the University of Kent, who was not involved in the study, added: “This is a really interesting study. Once you have identified the biological process, you can always try to find a cure.

“If successful, this could be a way to rejuvenate the immune system, which could increase both lifespan and well-being.” Boosting immunity in the elderly is very important as infections often lead to other problems such as: B. Hospitalization and exposure to other pathogens or weeks in bed lead to weak bones and muscles,” she said.

Professor Lanna says it was thought for years that immune cell caps could only be repaired by telomerase, a regenerative process that slows down degradation but is not sufficient to maintain their length over time as caps unravel and wear out.

Now he has found an alternative mechanism sometimes used by the body to maintain the length of immune cell caps, or telomeres, that is much more efficient than the commonly used method, and has developed a drug that can mimic this process.

“The biology of telomeres has been studied for over 40 years. For decades, it has been believed that a single enzyme, telomerase, is the sole mechanism responsible for lengthening and maintaining telomeres in cells. Our results show how another mechanism that does not require telomerase can be used to lengthen telomeres,” he says.

The discovery of a new mechanism shows that when the body becomes infected, one type of immune cell, known as APC, passes on protective proteins called telomeres to another type of immune cell, T cells, which are not only key in fighting infections, but also at speed. with which the immune system and the body as a whole age.

The transferred telomeres are packaged in tiny sacs that scientists have purified in the blood and added to T cells in drugs to increase telomere length and thus lifespan.

Laboratory experiments with the drug on human cells showed that “recipient T cells prolong life and have the memory and properties of stem cells, which allows T cells to protect the host from a deadly infection for a long time,” according to one researcher. A report on the experiments was published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

In experiments, the length of telomeres increased 30 times longer than with normal maintenance of immune cells or telomerase.

According to Professor Lann, this leads to an increase in the healthy lifespan of immune system T-cells by 10 person-years before the telomeres or protective cap wear out so much that the cell ceases to function.

However, this does not necessarily mean that a person will live 10 years longer, since life expectancy is determined by many factors, not just how quickly immune cells lose their function.

But there is strong evidence that drugs can help improve quality and length of life — with further improvements likely as treatments are tested and developed, experts say.

Professor Lanna set up London-based SentCell to develop a vaccine that he says will be tested in humans in 2023.

When asked how long a person’s life could be extended with this vaccine, he replied: “120 years.”

“[The trial] will take place in the UK next year and we expect the drug to be released as soon as possible. I can’t talk about it anymore because it’s confidential,” he said.

Other experts not involved in the study welcomed the results but declined to comment on how much the drug could increase life expectancy, preferring instead to focus on the benefits of a longer, healthier life.

Alexander Benedetto, an aging expert at Lancaster University, said: “This is a very interesting study that opens the door to solving the problem of immune cell aging. [deterioration with age]which plays a crucial role in human aging.”

“Once we understand all of the natural mechanisms by which certain immune cells benefit from telomere transfer, we can age in a healthier way through immune rejuvenation.”

However, he warns that scientists should proceed with caution.

“If we get it wrong, we will most likely have a shorter life expectancy due to side effects like cancer,” he said.

Dr Niharika Duggal, Associate Professor at the Institute of Inflammation and Aging at the University of Birmingham, added: “This is a fascinating study. With the global increase in the aging population, the attention of researchers has shifted from increasing life expectancy to improving “life expectancy”. [healthy lifespan] has not kept up with increases in life expectancy, and these new discoveries may close this gap by boosting immune responses.”