2023-05-23 15:14:32
Researchers aim to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, strengthen cancer killer cells and explore the potential for extending human lifespan.
While remarkable progress has been made over the past few decades in finding ways to extend the lifespan of healthy humans, a recent breakthrough marks a new milestone.”very important“.
Scientists at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan have discovered a genetic modification in mice that increases the power of cancer-killing cells by two to seven times and extends their lifespan by up to 20%.
To further amplify the results of last year’s groundbreaking study, they have now successfully replicated the same extraordinary results from their previous research in ordinary mice through a single blood stem cell transplant.
The new findings, published in the scientific journal Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, are “very important“said Che-Kun James Shen, lead researcher of the study, who believes this might have profound implications for human health.”We hope to apply them in the near future, and I think if it works, they can go into clinical trials probably next year or by the end of the year.“.
The researchers first identified an amino acid – a protein called KLF1 – which, when modified, “maintains all the healthy characteristics of young age“.
This includes “better motor function, improved learning and memory, but also better cancer cells“, says Mr. Shen, adding that the hair of the mice “were also much darker and brighter“.
One of the critical marks of aging, fibrosis – a process characterized by the buildup of fibrous tissue that leads to impaired organ function – has also been shown to be significantly reduced.
But the latest results show that the research team has now succeeded in transferring the benefits of the amino acid KLF1 – which plays an important role in the transcription of genes from different types of blood cells – to non-mutant mice thanks to stem cell transplants.
Reduce cancer risk and fight cancer cells
Stem cell transplants are a standard treatment approach for certain types of blood cancers. Building on this early breakthrough, Dr. Shen’s team of scientists hopes to reduce the risk of cancer resurgence and boost the potency of cancer killer cells by genetically modifying human stem cells with KLF1.
While eliminating cancer is in itself a promising prospect, Dr. Shen’s genetic intervention might also extend human lifespans.
Researchers have already identified many genetic variants that increase the lifespan of mice. However, many of these variants only benefited female mice, and there was no known method to transfer the benefits of mutant mice to wild (normal) mice.
“Females still have these kind of advantages, but in this mouse model there is no gender bias“, explains Mr. Shen.
More importantly, he adds, “many previous mouse models had side effects, but with our mice we saw none“.
Trials with KLF1 were successful when conducted on different genetic backgrounds of mice, indicating that no specific genetic background influenced the results.
In other words, the benefits of research might be universal, suggesting a wider impact. “I think the model will probably work on all humans“, Mr. Shen hopes.
“And there’s no need for a full bone marrow transplant, just a partial substitution of 30 or 20 percent is enough to make mice resistant to cancer.“.
The enhanced cancer cell killing abilities seen in mutant mice are due to various biological changes that occur following gene manipulation.
But researchers have found that the ability of certain cells to kill cancer, such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells carrying the amino acid substitution”all have a higher ability to kill cancer cells, 2 to 7 times higher, than wild-type mice [souris normales]“.
When the team realized that the genetic modification of the amino acid was “expressed only in blood cells“, she tried injecting certain types of blood cells from the mutant mice into wild mice, with promising results.
Does this mean that cancer-fighting bone marrow transplants can soon be performed in humans? Mr. Shen is hopeful that this will soon become a reality.
“I think ethically you have to be concerned regarding that, but yeah, that’s what we’re trying to do“says Shen, adding that they are already working to capitalize on their findings to improve cancer therapies in humans.
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