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Japanese scientists develop experimental vaccine that clears dysfunctional aging cells that cause disease
What’s going on
- Scientists from Juntendo University (Japan) have developed an experimental vaccine against aging – researchers have already reported a successful test result in mice.
- The vaccine is based on peptides that target the GPNMB protein present in the genes of aging cells. The peptides program the immune system to kill cells that express GPNMB.
- The vaccine has already been successfully tested in three groups of mice: with a fatty diet, with accelerated aging disease and in healthy middle-aged mice. As a result, the first group had an improved metabolism, the second had an increased life expectancy, and the third had a healthier aging.
- According to the researchers, it is possible that the GPNMB protein is not the only senoantigen that is produced by senescent cells. Now scientists have to further work on new versions of the vaccine.
- It is expected that the vaccine could be used to treat arterial stiffness, diabetes and other diseases associated with aging.
What does it mean
The accumulation of senescent cells in the body is the main cause of disease in old age. For a long time, scientists from all over the world have been trying to develop a drug that targets these cells in order to slow down the aging process of the body and increase life expectancy.
One company trying to “cheat” death is Calico, founded by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The company is engaged in scientific research on the topic of aging and diseases associated with it. Also worth noting is Altos Labs, a startup that caught the attention of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who invested in the company along with former Mail.ru owner Yuri Milner.
Such developments are carried out not only by civilian, but also by military companies – it was previously reported that the US Army will soon begin clinical trials of an “anti-aging pill”.