A drug has been shown to extend the lifespan of laboratory mice by almost 25%, with treated mice showing fewer cancers and improved health and strength. The new drug earned the mice the nickname "supermodel grannies" because of their youthful appearance.
"The drug is already being tested in humans, but it is not known whether it will have the same antiaging effect," he says. the BBC:
The team from the MRC Medical Science Laboratory, Imperial College London and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore investigated a protein called interleukin-11. Its levels increase in the human body as we age, and it contributes to higher levels of inflammation. Researchers report that it flips several biological switches that control the rate of aging.
The researchers conducted two experiments. The first genetically modified mice were thus unable to produce interleukin-11. In the second experiment they waited until the mice were 75 weeks old (roughly equivalent to a 55-year-old person) and then regularly gave them a drug to clear interleukin-11 from their bodies.
The results, published in the journal Nature, showed that lifespan increased by 20-25% depending on the experiment and the gender of the mice.
Lab mice often die of cancer, however, mice that lacked interleukin-11 had much lower levels of the disease. They even showed improved muscle function, had healthier coats and scored much better on several measures of weakness.
Widjaja, AA, Lim, WW., Viswanathan, S. et al.
Inhibition of IL-11 signaling extends mammalian health span and lifespan.
Nature (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07701-9
