Drug Reverses ‘Accelerated Aging’ in Human Cells

Some age-related diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, also result in defects in the cells’ “trash-removal” system, says Dimitri Krainc, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and one of the authors of the paper. In fact, previous research has shown that the failure of cellular maintenance is a key component of aging. “With normal aging … you start accumulating by-products of normal cell functions,” explains Krainc. Rapamycin may be able to help clean up other toxic proteins as well, though this study only looked at its effects on progerin.

“I would hope that the study increases the search for molecules to replace rapamycin,” which don’t have the immunosuppressant side effects, says David Sinclair, director of the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging at Harvard Medical School. Such alternatives could be a major step forward in the fight against aging, says Sinclair, who was not involved in the current study.

Drug Reverses ‘Accelerated Aging’ in Human Cells – Technology Review