New anti-aging therapy extends life of mice by 25%, study finds

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A science-based therapy that allows axolotls to regrow severed limbs may help mice live 25 percent longer, according to the latest breakthrough in anti-aging research.

This technique, which involves removing a pro-inflammatory protein, protects rodents against multiple diseases and is the subject of preliminary clinical trials in humans for the treatment of fibrotic lung disease.

These results highlight the hope that deepening understanding of the role of individual genes and proteins could help increase both lifespan and healthy lifespan (years of healthy life) in humans.

“We have discovered a pro-inflammatory factor that promotes aging in a broad sense,” said Stuart Cook, lead researcher and professor at Duke-NUS Singapore and the UK’s MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences. “We found that if you inhibit this factor, you increase healthy lifespan, and therefore lifespan. It’s a domino effect.”

A new study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, focuses on the role of a protein called IL-11 in fueling inflammation. Increased production of this protein is associated with aging in mice, the scientists found.

Deleting genes that control IL-11 production protected mice from various diseases, metabolic decline and frailty, the study showed. This allowed the rodents to live an average of 24.9 percent longer.

Blocking IL-11 with an antibody had a similar positive effect on the lifespan of middle-aged mice. Males aged 75 weeks – about 55 years in humans – lived 22.5% longer, while the figure was 25% for females.

Inhibiting IL-11 appears to reduce the incidence of age-related cancers, confirming previous theories, the researchers said.

Although the study did not include data from human tests, Cook said he was confident that beneficial anti-aging effects would be seen in people.

IL-11 has long attracted biological interest because of its role in the extraordinary regeneration processes of some species. Previous research has shown that it helps fish, tadpoles and axolotls restore lost fins, tails and limbs.

The protein plays a role in human body development, but it has become a growing problem for adults who are now living much longer than their ancestors. Cook likened IL-11’s role in aging to “throwing oil on the fire.”

This research adds to a portfolio of promising techniques for combating aging. Another area of ​​interest is senolytics, i.e. the elimination of aged cells.

The data from Cook’s team’s research appears “robust,” but the suggested techniques do not necessarily appear superior to senolytics, said Ilaria Bellantuono, professor of musculoskeletal aging at the University of Sheffield.

“Furthermore, there is no evidence that it would work in older age, when deficits are greater,” Bellantuono added.

Human trials are needed to provide further data on these anti-aging techniques, and even if they are successful, there will still be barriers to implementing these therapies. It can be difficult to identify individuals at risk of frailty, and frailty is not always recognized by regulators as a medical condition for the purposes of drug reimbursement.