Science is trailblazing two pathways to extending human life. One way is focused on adding significant years to the human life span, often referred to as radical longevity. The other is frequently termed healthspan and tries to improve a person’s wellbeing as they live to the highest reaches of longevity.
In part two of our series, we look at where the science of radical longevity and healthspan stands and what lies ahead.
The Path to Immortality Begins
A group of mice in the San Diego lab of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which kick-started the current scientific search for life extension.
Mice, bred to age prematurely, were injected with a virus that contained four genes thought to have the ability to rejuvenate aging cells. As a result, the mice lived about 30 percent longer than normal, according to a paper that appeared in the December issue of Cell.
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, lead author of the study, contended that the research opened the door to controlling aging and lifespan.
“Our study shows that aging may not have to proceed in one single direction,” said Belmonte at the time. “It has plasticity and, with careful modulation, aging might be reversed.”
Where the Science Is Now
Fast forward to today. Cellular rejuvenation is at the forefront of scientific research on radical longevity. Although there are others with fervent supporters. We cover them below.
Life Biosciences, a Boston biotech company working with Harvard researchers, is expected to begin the first human trials involving cellular rejuvenation later this year.
Those trials will test whether gene rejuvenation can treat non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
The cause of NAION is not known, and there is no treatment. However, diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking are risk factors.
Injections will be used to try and repair eye cells – in essence, turning back the clock to a time when the cells were healthier and not threatened by NAION.
Is It Safe
Any new therapy raises concerns about safety. Radical longevity and healthspan are no different.
Some of the animal experiments have produced side effects, such as teratomas, or large tumors, and, in a few cases, death.
Old cells can be rejuvenated or reprogrammed flawlessly in a petri dish. The process has become so successful that one type of cell can be turned into another type of cell. For example, stem cells can be reprogrammed to be muscle cells, or skin cells can be rejuvenated and turned into bone cells.
Transplanted cells have been used for years to treat various cancers, blood disorders, and autoimmune diseases. Stem cells are also used to produce new blood cells after chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The major drawback to full regeneration of cells is the possibility of producing teratomas. However, in a follow-up experiment, the Salk team found that mice given a reduced therapy did not develop tumors. Unfortunately, they did not live longer either.
Big Money From Big Names Funding Research
Cell rejuvenation has garnered a lot of coverage thanks to funding from notable billionaires, such as Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Jeff Theil, cofounder of PayPal; and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. One wealthy tech mogul and life extension investor, Bryan Johnson, was profiled in the Netflix documentary Don’t Die.
One of the best-funded radical longevity biotech firms is reputed to be Palo Alto Labs. It opened in 2022 with an estimated $3 billion.
Other Radical Longevity Technics
Most Radical Longevity research focuses on cell repair and rejuvenation. In addition to the methods above, here are a couple of other areas being explored.
Senolytics are a class of drugs that remove senescent cells from the body. Those cells contribute to the aging process because they have stopped dividing. Sometimes called “zombie cells”, senescent cells can contribute to inflammation and tissue damage.
Telomere Lengthening. Our chromosomes have a protective cap called a telomere. However, these caps shrink a little each time a cell divides. Eventually, the telomere gets so diminished that cells can not divide successfully.
Researchers had hoped that lengthening telomeres would extend the life of cells. Thus increasing human lifespans.
Instead, a Johns Hopkins Medicine study published in May 2023 raised concerns about the technique. That research revealed that “people with long telomeres tend to develop a range of benign and cancerous tumors, as well as the age-related blood condition clonal hematopoiesis.”
Increasing Focus on Healthspan
The jury is still out on radical longevity. Although most scientists in the field think living to 100, possibly beyond, is achievable for most of us today. Consequently, the quality of a long life is getting a lot of attention.
Research on longevity and the healthspan of older people sometimes crosses. One example is the study of caloric-restrictive mimetics. Simply put, this is the lazy person’s way to reduce their intake of calories.
Reducing daily caloric intake, without sacrificing essential nutrients, has been an area of interest among scientists for some time. It has also taken hold in popular culture. The 2024 Food Insight survey found that 13 percent of respondents had tried intermittent fasting within the last year.
A study published in the April edition of Annals of Internal Medicine found that participants who practiced intermittent fasting lost more weight than those who counted calories.
“It was surprising and exciting to me that it was better,” said Victoria Catenacci, MD, co-lead of the Colorado University School of Medicine study.
Intermittent Fasting Critics
Several other studies have shown intermittent fasting helps with weight loss and improves overall health. However, some critics have sounded alarms.
An analysis delivered at a meeting of the American Heart Association last year determined that people who restricted eating to eight hours a day were at greater risk of heart disease.
A Mayo Clinic Q&A on intermittent fasting pinpoints the difficulty in researching the strategy.
“The main problem is that intermittent fasting is not standardized,” according to the clinic.
Some fasting calls for eating a certain number of days and not eating for several days afterward. Another tactic calls for limiting eating to certain hours of the day.
A note of caution. If intermittent fasting interests you, do not try it without consulting your doctor.
Other Healthspan Approaches
Other elements that may produce both life extension and healthspan improvement in older adults are drugs developed for other purposes.
Metformin is commonly prescribed for the treatment of diabetes. Though it is now believed to have potential for a modest increase in lifespan. In addition, it has shown an ability to improve healthspan.
Another drug being investigated for enhancing healthspan is rapamycin.
This powerful medication is used in a variety of procedures, including organ transplants; treatment of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease primarily found in women; tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a genetic disorder that leads to organ tumors; and even as a topical treatment for skin tumors.
In addition, rapamycin has shown potential to combat some effects of aging, including cognitive decline.
As with many medications, rapamycin can have a range of side effects. Those include kidney damage, elevated risk of cancer and high blood pressure, high cholesterol, blood problems, as well as other issues.
Conclusion
Medical researchers are working diligently on radical longevity and improvements in healthspan. The day may come when a pill or injection can add years to your life or even improve the quality of your life. Then again, you could die waiting for that to happen.
There are measures you can take right now to improve your health as you age. We take a look at those in our third and final instalment of this series tomorrow.
Tomorrow, the final installment of our series shows that you don’t have to wait – you can begin to change your healthspan, thereby extending your lifespan.
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