19 Sep 2019
Mayo Clinic study unlocks new anti-ageing science
BY Megan Whitby
New science has revealed a potential solution to age-related diseases which works on a systemic basis, improving overall health and reducing the need to treat individual, age-related ailments.
A human trial in the field of senolytics – medicines which remove aged, toxic cells from our bodies – has found these treatments can decrease and potentially eliminate the presence of senescent cells in the body.
These cells are responsible for fuelling age-related diseases, as they've ceased to divide and go on to accumulate in the body, eventually becoming harmful to the tissues around them.
Cells with senescent properties are linked to the occurrence of age-related diseases and have been found in the affected tissues of people with Alzheimer’s, pulmonary fibrosis and osteoarthritis. Senescent cells are also found in people suffering from obesity.
The trial, published by The Lancet in the EBioMedicine Journal on September 18th, was conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
During the study, nine subjects, aged between 50-80 years and receiving diabetes therapy, were administered with senolytic drugs for three days.
Scientists concluded that ‘interventions (in this instance, the administration of senolytic drugs) targeting fundamental ageing processes such as cellular senescence could delay, prevent, or alleviate multiple age-related diseases’ in humans.
The trial findings represent hope for a future systemic solution to ageing and age-related diseases, instead of treating singular diseases one-by-one.
The research was conducted by a team led by James Kirkland, MD, PhD, with Nathan LeBrasseur, PhD, MS, and Tamara Tchkonia, PhD, who all collaborate with the Mayo Clinic.
Other recent research proved that Fisetin, a fruit-based flavonoid, is a potent senolytic which can extend health and lifespan. The substance is found in strawberries, apples, grapes and kiwi fruit.
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