[LUM#4] Getting Old: What a Bore
Want to live longer and stay healthy? It’s possible! While we still can’t stop the effects of aging, researchers now know how to slow them down.
At age 100, she was still getting around by bicycle. She lived at home until she was 110 and passed away at the remarkable age of 122 years, 5 months, and 14 days. What if we were all soon to experience Jeanne Calment’s exceptional longevity?“Not just her longevity, but also her vitality,” replies Jean-Marc Lemaître. The researcher atthe Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy (IRMB) is convinced: we will live longer and in good health.“For a very long time, research focused primarily on age-related diseases without seeking to understand aging itself, its causes, and its consequences, ”explains the specialist. “Now the scientific community has realized that by addressing aging, we will also address the pathologies associated with it.”
Understanding Aging
And over the past 15 years, the fight against aging has taken a significant leap forward, thanks in particular to research on “senescent” cells. “When subjected to stress, cells can enter senescence, a state in which they no longer proliferate but do not die either, ”explains Jean-Marc Lemaître. The problem is that these cells secrete substances that cause chronic inflammation, often associated with age-related diseases.“In a young person, senescent cells are eliminated by the immune system, but starting at age 50, this process becomes less effective, and senescent cells accumulate in the body, bringing with them a host of negative effects.”
What if, to slow down aging, we targeted these so-called senescent cells? That’s exactly what American researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota did, successfully eliminating senescent cells in mice. The result: the rodents’ life expectancy increased by 30%.“Not only did these mice live much longer, but they aged better,” notes the aging specialist. The treated mice exhibited fewer age-related conditions such as cataracts or muscle wasting.
Anti-aging pill
Great news for mice, but what about humans?“We can imagine applying these resultsto humans,” the specialist replies. A 30% increase in lifespan? We could all live to be 100. And in good health:“Eliminating senescent cells helps extend the number of years lived in good health,”insists Jean-Marc Lemaître. What was considered science fiction just a short while ago will soon become reality.“We’ve already identified molecules like rapamycin, an immunosuppressant, or metformin, a substance used to treat diabetes, which delay senescence in humans and are good candidates for an anti-aging cocktail. The challenge now is to find small molecules that will selectively destroy senescent cells.” When will we see the arrival of a “long, healthy life” pill?“Within the next fifteen years,” assures Jean-Marc Lemaître.
It must be said that, alongside research on senescent cells, research in regenerative medicine is advancing by leaps and bounds.“The idea is to be able to repair tissues and organs damaged by aging or disease,” explains Jean-Marc Lemaître. How? By replacing failing cells with healthy ones. With cell therapy, researchers can create cells on demand.“We reprogram simple cells, such as blood cells, into stem cells,” explains the reprogramming specialist. This “reset” then allows these cells to differentiate into various cell types found in the body: liver cells can regenerate the liver, and heart cells can repair the heart.“By treating age-related diseases in this way, we can significantly increase healthy life expectancy,” says Jean-Marc Lemaître.
Unlimited longevity?
Especially since regenerative medicine doesn’t just treat diseases; it aims to create human “bio-organs” to replace a failing pancreas or a worn-out kidney.“Within the next 5 to 10 years, we should see the first bio-artificial kidney,” the specialist notes.
Slowing down aging, swapping out worn-out cells for fresh ones, replacing our failing organs with brand-new machinery… The fountain of youth could be just a test tube away.“If these scientific advances are accompanied by a genuine societal commitment, everyone will be able to live to 120 in good health,”envisions Jean-Marc Lemaître. And why not even longer? A thorny question for researchers. “In fact, we don’t really know what the limit of longevity might be”…
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