life expectancy Since the early 1800s, the top performing countries have increased by three months each year. For most of human history, the chances of us reaching our 20s were around 50-50, mostly due to deaths from infections and accidents. I have slowly found a way to treat it. The end result is perhaps the greatest achievement in human history. He literally doubled what it meant to be human, and extended his lifespan from his 40s to his 80s. On the one hand, this has allowed one scourge to eclipse all others and rise to the number one cause of death in the world: aging.
Today, more than two-thirds of all deaths worldwide, or more than 100,000 deaths each day, are attributable to aging. This may sound counterintuitive, but it is because the aging process itself is the main risk factor for most of the leading causes of death in the modern world. Cancer, heart disease, dementia and many other health problems become fundamentally more common as we age. We all know that there are some, but these are relatively minor compared to aging. For example, high blood pressure doubles the risk of heart attack. When he turns 80 instead of 40, his risk increases tenfold. As the world population ages, the scale of death and suffering caused by aging will only increase.
But this is not my prediction. Aside from being depressing, extrapolating two-century trends for another year is hardly groundbreaking. Even more interesting, 2023 could be the first drug to target the biology of aging itself.
Scientists have a good understanding of what causes us to age, biologically speaking. The so-called “features” of the aging process range from damage to DNA (the instruction manual within each cell) to proteins malfunctioning due to alterations. to their chemical structure. Most excitingly, we now have an idea of how to treat them.
By the end of 2023, one of these ideas could be shown to work in humans. One of the leading candidates is ‘senolytics’, which targets senescent cells (what biologists call senescent cells). It accumulates in the body as we age. These cells appear to drive the aging process from cancer causes to neurodegeneration, and conversely, removing them slows, and possibly even reverses, the aging process.
In a 2018 paper, an experiment in which mice were given a senescent cell-clearing cocktail of dasatinib (an anticancer drug) and quercetin (a molecule found in colorful fruits and vegetables) not only extended the lifespan of mice but also reduced disease. showed a low risk of They were not frail (they were able to run farther and faster on the small mouse-sized treadmills used in the experiment) and had thicker, shinier fur than their unmedicated littermates. had.
There are over 20 companies looking for safe and effective ways to rid people of these senescent cells. The largest is Unity Biotechnology, founded by investors including Jeff Bezos and the Mayo Clinic scientist behind the mouse experiment, which has been used to treat a variety of diseases such as macular degeneration (causing blindness) and pulmonary fibrosis. A senolytic drug is being tested. Small proteins that target senescent cells, vaccines that encourage the immune system to wipe them out, and even gene therapy by a company called Oisín Biotechnologies, named after an Irish mythological character who travels to Tir na Nog. and many other approaches have been investigated. A land of eternal youth.
Senolytics is not the only candidate. Others currently being tested in humans include Proclara Biosciences’ protein GAIM, which removes sticky “amyloid” proteins, and Verve Therapeutics’ gene therapy that lowers cholesterol by altering his gene called PCSK9. included. The first true anti-aging drugs will very likely target specific age-related diseases caused by specific characteristics rather than significantly aging. The success of these drugs will allow us to consider this loftier goal in the not-too-distant future.
By 2023, the early success of these treatments could set off the biggest medical revolution since the discovery of antibiotics. Instead of going to the doctor when sick to catch age-related problems such as cancer or dementia at a later stage when they are very difficult to cure, preventative interventions prevent people from getting sick in the first place. It does — and if mice doing shredded exercise on a treadmill aren’t a problem, it could reduce frailty and other problems that don’t necessarily elicit a medical diagnosis at the same time.
