PRIME TIME-Older mice who received blood protein from younger mice showed increased strength and endurance.
A specific protein, found in both human and mouse blood, reverses effects of aging in mice.
Can an infusion of young blood reverse the loss of physical and mental ability in old age?
In a group of studies published Sunday in the journals Science and Nature Medicine, researchers say old mice who were infused with the blood of spry younger mice showed clear improvements in memory, sensory function, strength and endurance.
Researchers say a specific protein, found in the blood of mice and humans, appears to be at the root of this rejuvenation. They say they hope to test the protein's effect on humans in clinical trials in the next few years.
"We do think that, at least in principle, there will be a way to reverse some of the decline of aging with a single protein," said Lee Rubin, a professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard. (Read the rest here.)
-cw
CityWatch
5-14-14
