Scientists are quickly developing technologies that delay biological aging and extend healthspan, which will result in immense economic gains as individuals can work for longer and contribute their labor towards the economy.
Sinclair’s lab used genetic engineering to engineer a virus to deliver Yamanaka factors directly to damaged retinal ganglion cells in mice, providing pluripotent stem cells which rejuvenated them, decreasing signs of aging while even producing new neurons.
1. Cellular Reprogramming
Cellular reprogramming holds great promise to reverse aging and rejuvenate cells, by resetting their epigenetic information to more youthful levels – like rebooting a computer. Researchers have created induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from adult somatic cells by overexpressing lineage-specific transcription factors; however, this process is extremely complex as it requires large amounts of pluripotency factors that are toxic and cause serious side effects in humans, including cancer; researchers are exploring safer methods of reprogramming cells.
Recently, researchers have developed techniques for partially reprogramming cells to restore their function without inducing pluripotency. They do so using reprogramming factors and chemical cocktails; this approach eliminates cancer-linked Pluripotency Factor c-Myc while decreasing the number of necessary reprogramming factors needed. It can even be used to reprogram specific types of cells without using viral vectors or epigenetic modifiers that could prove hazardous.
Researchers have developed methods for in vivo delivery of reprogramming factors. Oftentimes this involves nucleic acid delivery; DNA being the preferred choice as it’s more stable than RNA and can be easily administered via AAVs (adeno-associated virus). To maximize efficiency of this technique, researchers have devised techniques for in vivo reprogramming factor delivery. These approaches involve nucleic acid delivery via nucleic acids such as AAVs.
Researchers have successfully used these methods to reprogramme somatic cells into iPSCs with far lower doses and times than was previously possible, representing an important step toward creating therapies to reverse cell aging.
Researchers still believe partial cell reprogramming is far from ready for clinical application, however. To address this hurdle, several anti-aging startups have developed regenerative AI that can predict which genes are likely to rejuvenate cells safely and thus identify the ideal candidates for future trials. Shift Bioscience leveraged biological clocks as well as AI to advance research and create its cellular reprogramming platform; raising $16 Million seed funding last October 2024 so as to expand upon it further.
2. Rejuvenation of Senescent Cells
Aging is characterized by numerous interlinked hallmarks, including genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic changes, protein homeostasis loss and mitochondrial dysfunction; stem cell depletion; nutritional sensing changes; impaired intercellular communication, chronic inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis are hallmarks of aging processes that need to be reversed with precision anti-ageing interventions targeting specific molecular targets and key cellular processes. Recent advances have greatly advanced our mechanistic understanding of evolutionarily conserved aging pathways as we develop precision anti-ageing interventions targeting specific molecular targets while simultaneously reversing key cellular processes. Recent advances have provided us with insights into evolutionarily conserved pathways of aging processes as we develop precision anti-ageing interventions capable of targeting specific molecular targets while simultaneously reversing key cellular processes.
One effective strategy to delay disease and age-related decline involves clearing away senescent cells. Senescent cells, identified by expression of SA-b-gal marker protein, produce pro-inflammatory factors which contribute to tumorigenesis, vascular damage, inflammation and tissue fibrosis. Clearance of senescent cells has been shown to restore organ and tissue functions while simultaneously slowing age-related disease progression and prolong lifespan in several animal models.
Effective methods for clearing away senescent cells include the use of senolytic compounds that selectively kill them. These agents employ various mechanisms, stimulating or inhibiting immune clearance depending on which antigens they target, while some can even be combined with therapies to raise NAD+ levels, support mitochondrial function, decrease inflammation or facilitate epigenetic reprogramming.
Recent research showed that human embryonic stem cells could rejuvenate senescent mouse fibroblasts by secreting exosomes that reduce expression of SA-b-gal and inhibit their proliferation, making this finding highly significant as it proves human stem cells’ capacity to reverse in vivo senescence and improve health.
Next step in optimizing these methods so they can be utilized clinically. Care must be taken when selecting sources for these compounds and informing patients on potential outcomes and risks, while clinicians should ensure these products adhere to ethical and legal boundaries for use – this ensures regenerative medicine access by all. As these techniques advance they could revolutionize medical industry by moving beyond disease management towards proactive health maintenance.
3. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is an approach designed to bolster your immune system’s abilities against cancer and other diseases. Unlike chemotherapy, which directly attacks fast-growing cancer cells directly, immunotherapy bolsters your body’s natural defenses against cancer by teaching it how to recognize and kill cancer cells or providing additional weapons against them. While immunotherapy takes longer to work than chemotherapy treatments do, its lasting benefits will last much longer.
Immunotherapy treatments include pills or inhalers taken orally, while others require injection through veins (shot or IV). You can receive this kind of immunotherapy in doctor’s offices, clinics or outpatient units of hospitals; it may even be possible to receive it at home using an implantable port (portacath).
Immunotherapies can provide powerful benefits in treating cancer, autoimmune disease, heart failure and other illnesses. Immunotherapy treatments may be combined with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy therapies or even used alone as the sole remedy.
Your immune system provides essential protection from bacteria and viruses by identifying and attacking them before they cause illness. In addition, your body contains stop signals which tell cells when to self-destruct, but when these stop signals become compromised cancer and other diseases can spread unchecked. Immunotherapy targets cancerous processes in ways which disrupt normal processes in order to stop cancerous ones from progressing further.
Decitabine is an anti-aging drug that slows stem cell aging and improves their ability to regenerate and repair tissues, so it may serve as an important new therapy for multiple chronic diseases. Furthermore, decitabine may even help preserve an individual’s immune system so they respond quicker to vaccines or immunotherapies.
Cambrian Pharmaceutical’s pipeline offers multiple candidate drugs to target age-related damage across obesity, respiratory, oncology and immunology indications. Their first candidate drug GF-1002 delivers copies of sirtuin-6 (SIRT6) found in centenarian cells into cells to increase activity and promote healthy aging; human trials will begin testing it beginning 2021 if successful – this could become one of the first treatments that reverse or stop cell level aging and extend healthy lifespan.
4. Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is an innovative medical technique that utilizes viruses to deliver genes into cells. This approach can be used to treat genetic conditions and reverse or slow the aging process. Gene therapy may be combined with other treatments in order to maximize results; viruses used for gene therapy do not pose the same threats to healthy cells, nor cause side effects; however there may be potential risks involved with gene therapy treatment.
One risk associated with gene therapy lies in its use of viruses to infiltrate cells unintended to be targeted, which may increase cancer risks. Furthermore, viruses could alter genes in ways not beneficial to health resulting in health issues for the recipient and potentially other risks as a result.
Though gene therapy may present its own challenges, it has shown great promise for treating many diseases and conditions. CRISPR/Cas9 was successfully utilized to correct mutations in beta-thalassemia genes to decrease transfusion requirements for patients receiving regular blood transfusions; gene therapy can also be used to correct other inherited conditions.
Recent research demonstrated that increasing levels of the Klotho protein (s-KL) could promote healthier aging in mice. Researchers used gene therapy to rewrite their genome in order to produce greater amounts of s-KL, leading to improved muscle strength, bone density and cognitive performance than control mice who received this treatment.
Researchers involved in this research published their results in Molecular Therapy journal. Funded by both Institut de Neurociencies from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and Horizon 2020 program of European Union.
Altos Labs recently raised $3 billion from investors including Jeff Bezos of Amazon to develop epigenetic reprogramming therapies designed to extend human lifespans and treat age-related diseases. This company seeks to extend human lifespans while treating age-related diseases.
This technology works by reprogramming somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells and altering their gene expression, with tremendous implications in terms of regenerative medicine; potentially treating hereditary diseases or slowing or even reversing biological clock in adult cells – hallmarks of aging.
