Is a Vaccine for Aging on the Horizon?

It’s very possible that sometime in the near future, along with a routine blood pressure check and cholesterol test, you may opt for an anti-aging shot.

According to an article published in the online journal Science, one researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas discovered a hormone made by a gene, called Klotho, suppresses aging in mice! The Klotho gene was named for the Greek Fate purported to spin the thread of life and contributes to life expectancy in humans, according to a team led by Johns Hopkins scientists. The gene functions as an aging suppressor gene in mammals that delays aging and accelerates the development of aging-like disorders when disrupted.(1)

Scientists from the Department of Pathology, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, discovered that a defect in the gene was associated with common age-related diseases including coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, and stroke, strongly arguing that Klotho regulates aging in humans.(2)

Of course, transferring that technology to humans is quite a bit ways off, but given the fact that this mouse gene is almost identical to a gene carried by humans, the potential uses are exciting.

In the study, researchers created mice with overactive versions of the Klotho gene. Each mouse proved to have a life span that was 20 percent longer than mice with normal versions of the gene.  It is theorized that the gene blocks the insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway, which may decrease the mortality of worms, flies, and mice, suggesting that multiple IGF pathways need to be better understood. Another piece of the anti-aging puzzle still has yet to be found such as identifying the molecule through which the Klotho hormone makes contact with the cells. It’s like having a key to a door but not knowing where the keyhole is.  In addition to blocking insulin-like growth factor-1, researchers also believed that the Klotho’s gene’s ability to suppress aging might be due to a mechanism that induces oxidative stress resistance.

If research continues to solve some of these puzzles, the lead researcher foresees a future where a blood test would tell a doctor one’s levels of the hormone in order to determine his or her lifespan and then adjust those levels. The study’s author suggested that even if an anti-aging injection never materializes, there could be wonderful therapeutic uses for manipulation of the hormone, one of which might be reducing the risk for atherosclerosis, a disease shown to be associated with lower levels of the hormone.  The possibilities are exciting and reason enough to extend this investigation. For now, there are a number of things we can do to maintain a youthful mind and body.

1. Science 16 September 2005: Vol.309.no. 5742, p.1785h
2. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280, Issue 45, 38029-38034, November 11, 2005