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'Easter Island' Drug Adds Years to Mice
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The study authors administered the drug to mice at the age of 600 days -- the equivalent of 60 years in humans -- and found that it boosted their life span by 28 to 38 percent.
The drug appears to work by preventing immune cells from reproducing, Kaeberlein said. This helps organ-transplant patients by preventing the immune system from thinking the body is being attacked by something foreign.
The researchers also noted an anti-cancer effect, saying cancer cells seem especially vulnerable to the drug. It "could be retarding a whole bunch of cancers," Harrison said.
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Still, it would be premature to tout the compound as a cure-all for aging. Kaeberlein said the findings are "very exciting, but there's a lot that needs to be done so we know what the implications are for human aging."
Exactly how the drug extends life span in mice remains unclear. One possibility, Kaeberlein said, is that it delays the progress of diseases associated with age.
What it might cost if it were taken by humans for longevity is also unknown because researchers don't know what dose might work best.
More information
The Stanford Center on Longevity has more on the myths and challenges of aging.
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Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 7/8/2009
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SOURCES: David Harrison, Ph.D., professor, Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine; Matt Kaeberlein, Ph.D., assistant professor, pathology, University of Washington, Seattle; July 8, 2009, Nature
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