The following is a summary of our recent podcast interview with Dr. Paul Robbins, which can be listened to on our site here or on iTunes here.
Life extension is a hot topic and now, for the first time, clinical human trials are in formation to determine whether aging and age-related diseases can be delayed. This time on FS Insider, we spoke with Dr. Paul Robbins, professor and researcher at The Scripps Research Institute to discuss the science of aging and where things are headed.
Senescence
There are a number of processes and conditions that contribute to aging at the cellular level, Dr. Robbins said. One such likely process is senescence, which refers to a cell’s inability to continue dividing and growing.
“These cells are still alive, but they don’t proliferate,” Dr. Robbins said. “They’re metabolically active.”
Senescent cells release things such as soluble proteins and other factors that in theory allow the body to recognize the cell is damaged, so the immune system can clear it from the body.
However, Dr. Robbins stated, many labs are finding that the accumulation of these damaged cells and the materials they're excreting are contributing to the aging process.
They’ve shown that if we reduce the levels of these cells in the body, the organism ages in a healthier manner and in some cases will live longer.
“A number of research labs and companies are trying to develop drugs that target these damaged senescent cells,” Dr. Robbins said. “Senescence has become a very interesting target for drug development.”
Promising Results
Though studies involving human subjects are still in the very beginning stages, other experiments are showing promising results.
For example, with studies conducted on mice, there are very noticeable differences between those that have been treated and those that haven’t. “The experiments are really impressive,” Dr. Robbins said.
Robbins is targeting age-related decline, rather than extending lifespan. This is referred to as “healthspan,” rather than “lifespan.” And the effects of the treatments don’t necessarily extend to only one aspect of age-related decline.
“The results that we see … It’s the whole spectrum of conditions,” he said. “That’s what makes this so exciting. (For example), there’s evidence … that clearing these damaged cells will improve cognitive ability. This, in theory, should delay onset or reduce the severity of dementia.”
Because of the implications of developing these types of treatments, there’s obviously quite a bit of interest, and, as a result, big donors are moving in.
Human Trials Are Near
“One of the important breakthroughs, or future breakthroughs, in the aging field is that now we’re starting to be able to do clinical trials … for aging,” Dr. Robbins said.
FDA has never recognized aging as a disease. However, a group of researchers working with the FDA have moved a very well-known, well-characterized drug into the clinical trial process to see if it can be used to slow aging, Dr. Robbins stated.
“The drug that’s being tested is called metformin, which is used in millions of Americans with type-II diabetes,” he said. “It’s been around for years and has a very good safety profile.”
The reason this is so exciting is that in retrospective studies, it was shown that type-II diabetics taking metformin were living longer and maybe even healthier than non-diabetics not taking metformin, he noted.
Now, a five-year clinical trial has been designed to test if metformin will delay the onset of age-related conditions in humans. The trial takes into account three conditions: cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancer.
“They’re going to determine if metformin delays the onset of the second and then the third age-related condition,” Dr. Robbins said. “This will be the first clinical trial to address a drug to see if it extends healthspan.”
Dr. Robbins is very optimistic that we’re going to see positive results with these compounds. Interestingly, none of these compounds have been optimized for treatment of age-related decline … yet.
“This is the first step, but it’s a very exciting time, because we can now do clinical trials for aging,” he said. “Can we extend human healthspan? The ramifications of that would be enormous.”
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