U.S. researchers discover anti-aging therapy

CAR T cells act as a “living drug” to slow aging in mice. Blue dots are Aging cells. [Courtesy of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory]

A research team in the United States discovered an anti-aging therapy after confirming that mice injected with the treatment showed improved metabolism, decreased weight, and increased physical activity.

A research team led by Professor Corina Amor Vegas of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York reported the findings in the journal Nature Aging on Wednesday.

According to the U.S.’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), the fact that cells age was revealed in the 1960s. Dr. Leonard Hayflick, an American scientist, discovered that human cells cease to divide after approximately 6 to 70 divisions.

The research team focused on CAR-T cells. T cells, a type of immune cell, play a role in directly attacking and eliminating virus-infected cells and cancer cells in the bloodstream or tissues.

The team created a therapy that selectively targets and eliminates only desired cells using T cells by expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) on T cells to attach only the specific protein of aging cells, thus enabling T cells to selectively attack and eliminate aging cells.

The team conducted experiments on mice, injecting CAR-T cells that eliminate aging cells and observed changes. As a result, metabolism improved, leading to weight loss.

There was also an enhancement in glucose tolerance, related to the rise and fall of blood glucose levels and as a result, a noticeable increase in physical activity.

The research team explained that there were no side effects such as tissue damage and when they injected the substance into old mice, they regained vitality while younger mice aged slowly.

Researchers added that no other treatment shows such effects currently.

The most significant advantage is the long-lasting effect of removing aging cells.

The research team said that unlike conventional chemical substances, T cells stay in the body for a long time and perform their given role faithfully. They said that using it once at an early age could have a lifelong effect, meaning that it could prevent diseases common in old age, such as obesity or diabetes.