Medicine For Longer Lifespan
Life expectancy has increased dramatically over the past 200 years and many
people now live well into their nineties (called non-agenarians) and even hundreds
(called centenarians). This has prompted the development of drugs that can extend
lifespan by keeping the body healthy for longer avpress.marketminute.
Medicine for longer lifespan is a major focus of gerontological research, says Dr
Jamie Justice, an assistant professor of geriatric and medical genetics at Wake Forest
School of Medicine in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The goal is to improve the
healthspan of older people, which is how long they can function and perform at their
highest levels, without suffering from disease or disability.
One of the most promising approaches is to target pathways that go wrong when we
age. This includes senescent cells, which contribute to a range of age-related
diseases and symptoms such as muscle loss, impaired memory and poor mobility.
Drugs that suppress the activity of these rogue cells, which act like a virus, are
believed to extend healthspan in animal models.
Another approach involves targeting specific genes that are associated with the
onset of aging and age-related diseases. Known as STACs, these drugs are already
approved for chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, but researchers
hope that they can also be used to prevent the onset of these conditions and
prolong lifespan.
Some of these compounds are already on the market, such as rapamycin, which has
been used to treat organ transplant recipients and is found to extend life in yeast,
worms, flies and mice. The drug also inhibits a protein called mTOR, which is
involved in the regulation of growth and other key functions.
Other drugs such as metformin, which is widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, have
also been shown to prolong the lives of worms and laboratory mice. However,
studies have generally been limited to the early stages of treatment, and the results
have been modest.
If the anti-aging properties of metformin are replicated in humans, it could give us a
new way to prevent and treat age-related illnesses. The drug is already in use to
treat type 2 diabetes, which can cause cognitive problems as we age, and may help
people living with dementia by reducing oxidative stress.
In a clinical trial involving 3,000 people in the United States, it is being tested to see
whether the drug can prevent or slow the progression of age-related diseases, such
as cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders that affect cognition. If it
does, this will be the first human trial to investigate this type of approach, says Xu,
who is part of a team led by Dr Justice at Wake Forest.
The drug has been shown to increase the sensitivity of insulin, a hormone that
controls blood sugar levels in the body. It also increases energy levels and reduces
oxidative stress. This is a key aspect of the aging process and a critical component
of the pathology of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.