The Fountain of Youth has eluded explorers for many years. It turns out that the magic anti-aging pill may have been with us all along.
Associate Professor Corina Amor Vegas and colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered that T cells can be reprogrammed to, so to speak, combat aging. With the right genetic modification, these white blood cells can attack another group of cells known as senescent cells. These cells are thought to be responsible for many of the diseases we face later in life.
Senescent cells are cells that have stopped replicating. As we age, it accumulates in our bodies and causes harmful inflammation. Several drugs now exist that can eliminate these cells, but many require repeated doses over time.
As an alternative, Amor Vegas and colleagues turned to “live” drugs called CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cells. They discovered that CAR T cells could be manipulated to eliminate senescent cells in mice. As a result, the mice lived healthier lives. They lost weight, had improved metabolism and glucose tolerance, and increased physical activity. All benefits were obtained without tissue damage or toxicity. Amor Vegas Kono’s comment:
“If you give this to old mice, it rejuvenates them. If you give this to young mice, it slows down the aging process. There are currently no other treatments that can do this.”
Perhaps the greatest power of CAR T cells is their longevity. The researchers found that just one dose at a young age can have lifelong effects. Her one-time treatment can prevent conditions that often occur later in life, such as obesity and diabetes. Amor Vegas explains:
“T cells have the ability to develop memory and persist in the body for very long periods of time, which is very different from chemicals. With CAR T cells, you get this one treatment and that’s it. For chronic conditions, this is a huge benefit. Think about patients who need multiple treatments a day.
CAR T cells are used to treat a variety of blood cancers and were approved by the FDA for this purpose in 2017. But Amor Vegas was one of the first scientists to show that the medical potential of CAR T cells extends beyond cancer.
Amor Vegas’ lab is currently studying whether CAR T cells can make mice not only healthier but also live longer. If we do so, society will be one step closer to the much-needed fountain of youth.
written by: Luis Sandoval communication specialist | sandova@cshl.edu | 516-367-6826
funding
Lustgarten Foundation, Thompson Foundation, Pershing Square Foundation, CSHL Northwell Health Partnership, Northwell Health Tissue Endowment Program, CSHL Association, National Institutes of Health, Simons Foundation, National Institutes of Health Common Fund, Norn Group, National Institute on Aging, Memorial Sloan Howard Hughes Medical Institute Kettering Cancer Center
Quote
Amor, C. other., “Prophylactic and long-term efficacy of senolytic CAR T cells against age-related metabolic dysfunction”, natural aging, January 24, 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00560-5
