Researchers have long sought the “fountain of youth”. Parabiosis experiments demonstrated that whole blood or its components can rejuvenate aging tissues.
Ambrosia was one of several startups that responded to this research by offering young plasma transfusions; unfortunately it eventually shut down and its founder, Karmazin, has since opened Ivy Plasma under which to market his regenerative medicine products.
1. It Strengthens Muscles
Researchers have discovered that giving elderly mice blood from young ones reverses many of the normal ravages of aging. Furthermore, infusing younger mice blood also rejuvenates muscles and the brain – this trend being explored further to find factors responsible for its worldwide regenerative properties and turn it into practical medicines.
First, scientists need to establish whether rejuvenating proteins present in young blood can be concentrated into a pill that could extend and improve human life spans. Next, scientists can test this pill on patients in order to ascertain if its efficacy equals that observed with mice.
Researchers have attempted to create a fountain of youth by surgically interconnecting the circulatory systems of young and old mice so they share blood (known as parabiosis experiment). But their experiments may not be as fruitful as previously expected: research indicates that simply injecting young mouse blood directly into the circulatory systems of old mice produces rejuvenating effects; no parabiosis needed!
This research centers around GDF11, a protein found in young mouse blood. When administered to older mice via injection, GDF11 stimulated their production of growth factors that make older hearts beat faster and muscles stronger, suggesting it might be possible to create a drug which not only slows aging but also treats diseases associated with it such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
2. It Strengthens the Brain
Researchers who surgically linked the circulatory systems of young and old mice found that young mouse blood rejuvenated elderly counterparts, reversing many signs of aging in muscles and brains as well as producing more new hippocampal neurons responsible for memory formation and showing improved agility tests – this phenomenon known as parabiosis has since become one of the primary areas of research regarding rejuvenation therapies.
But the question still stands: What exactly is it about young blood that’s responsible for all this good stuff happening? In order to answer this, scientists have identified growth factors responsible for its rejuvenating effects – one such growth factor being platelet factor 4 (PF4) which plays an integral part of how our body uses blood cells in fighting infections, healing wounds quickly, forming blood clots where needed and other applications.
Platelets use platelet-derived protein 4 (PF4) to promote regeneration of damaged cells within your own body, explaining why regular blood tests, particularly following injury, should take place. However, scientists have recently discovered an additional use for PF4 injections into older mice: it regenerates their olfactory bulbs to restore their sense of smell if their circulation reduces with age – but giving an old mouse a dose of PF4 restores this sense.
Even though parabiosis research has never been proven effective in humans, entrepreneurs have tried to capitalize on it. Business Insider reported in August 2019 that Ambrosia CEO David Karmazin closed down due to an illegal plasma donation scandal; by November he had opened up Ivy Plasma with “off-label treatments” using young blood, although none had yet been proven successful for human patients.
3. It Strengthens the Heart
Blood transfusion from young mice into older ones produces rejuvenating effects on their hearts, muscles, and brains – effectively turning back the clock on aging while possibly combatting disease. These findings expand on research published in 2005 that showed making conjoined twins out of an older mouse and younger one reversed many of the effects associated with age such as memory declines and muscle strength decline.
The heart is the first organ to show signs of age-related change. It operates like this: on one side it pumps oxygen-rich blood to the lungs in exchange for carbon dioxide; while on the other it pumps blood to body tissues via major artery known as the Aorta and eventually smaller capillaries. Over time however, blood flow decreases while pressure increases; eventually this process causes capillaries to branch further off, eventually culminating in capillaries themselves becoming thicker and stiffer and eventually leading to heart attack or stroke.
Researchers have discovered that exposing older mice to young blood can significantly improve their heart, skeletal muscle, liver, and brain functions as they age. Last year, Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers in Boston reported in Cell that GDF11 protein found only in young mouse blood was responsible for this phenomenon.
Scientists hope to identify other proteins or genes present in the blood of young people that could explain its antiaging properties, and use their discoveries as the basis of therapies which mimic its benefits in humans. Should their search prove fruitful, cord blood banks could play an integral part in providing raw material to companies producing such antiaging treatments.
4. It Strengthens the Immune System
Researchers discovered in 2005 that creating conjoined twin mice of old and young mice that shared blood, organs, and cells reversed multiple signs of aging. This discovery raised interest in parabiosis but raised doubts whether its anti-ageing benefits might extend to people; now however, simple blood transfusion from newborn babies has shown similar anti-ageing properties for older mice.
Immune development occurs rapidly during infancy when infants first encounter the world outside their mother’s womb. Their innate immunity provides early protection from infectious diseases while adaptive immunity forms memories of what it’s been exposed to, helping prevent future infections.
Adult immune systems tend to weaken with age, leaving individuals more susceptible to infections, autoimmune disease and cancer. This decline may be attributed to decreased levels of CD4 T cells relative to CD8 T cells; decreased numbers of NK cells; and an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1b, IL-6 and IL-18 which may account for this phenomenon.
Now scientists have discovered that injecting umbilical cord blood from newborn babies into an aged mouse model of aging can restore its muscles, brain and bones back to their original health. They suspect this young blood contains growth factors which stimulate immune system regenerative abilities and bring about rejuvenation of muscle, mind and bone tissue.
Scientists speculate that human cord blood contains other factors which could enhance or modulate the anti-aging effects of growth factor cocktails; however, their exact mechanisms remain unknown. Last year, researchers at Stanford University observed middle aged mice given injections of cord blood became more active in their hippocampi – brain regions responsible for memory and learning – than other mice that did not receive such injections and learned faster when navigating mazes than their counterparts who hadn’t received this shot.