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Anti-Aging Stem Cell Treatment Proves Successful In Early Human Trials (newatlas.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from New Atlas: The results of two human clinical trials into a stem cell therapy that can reverse symptoms of age-associated frailty have been published, and the indications are that this landmark treatment is both safe and strikingly effective in tackling key factors in aging. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a particular type of adult stem cell generating a great deal of interest in the world of science. This new MSC treatment is targeted at reducing the effects of frailty on senior citizens. This is the first anti-aging stem cell treatment directed specifically at the problem of age-associated frailty to move close to a final FDA approval stage. The treatment derives human mesenchymal stem cells from adult donor bone marrow and in these clinical trials involves a single infusion in patients with an average age of 76. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 human trials have demonstrated the treatment to have no adverse health effects.
Although the two human trials were ostensibly designed to just demonstrate safety they do offer remarkable results in efficacy as well, paving the way for larger, Phase 3 clinical trials. In the first trial 15 frail patients received a single MSC infusion collected from bone marrow donors aged between 20 and 45 years old. Six months later all patients demonstrated improved fitness outcomes, tumor necrosis factor levels and overall quality of life. The second trial was a randomized, double blind study with placebo group. Again no adverse affects were reported and physical improvements were noted by the researchers as "remarkable." The next stage for the research is to move into an expanded Phase 2b clinical trial involving 120 subjects across 10 locations. After that a final, large randomized Phase 3 clinical trial will be the only thing holding the treatment back from final public approval. The results of the Phase 1 clinical trial were recently published in The Journals of Gerontology. The results of the Phase 2 clinical trial were recently published in The Journals of Gerontology. Further reading available via University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine.
Although the two human trials were ostensibly designed to just demonstrate safety they do offer remarkable results in efficacy as well, paving the way for larger, Phase 3 clinical trials. In the first trial 15 frail patients received a single MSC infusion collected from bone marrow donors aged between 20 and 45 years old. Six months later all patients demonstrated improved fitness outcomes, tumor necrosis factor levels and overall quality of life. The second trial was a randomized, double blind study with placebo group. Again no adverse affects were reported and physical improvements were noted by the researchers as "remarkable." The next stage for the research is to move into an expanded Phase 2b clinical trial involving 120 subjects across 10 locations. After that a final, large randomized Phase 3 clinical trial will be the only thing holding the treatment back from final public approval. The results of the Phase 1 clinical trial were recently published in The Journals of Gerontology. The results of the Phase 2 clinical trial were recently published in The Journals of Gerontology. Further reading available via University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine.
Reposted from a more reputable interpreter of the results on reddit:
"I look at these results
(Fig. 2 from the journal article, supposedly demonstrating an improvement in frailty markers) and just see noise. No dose-response. No consistent benefit across measures for different treatment groups.
The figure shows four different tests for resilience to age-related frailty - each fig. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d represent how each of the treatment groups performed on these tests at different time points.
There were three treatment groups: patients receiving 100 million cells (100-M), patients receiving 200 million cells (200-M) and a placebo group.
The 100 million cell group showed a stat dig improvement in the six minute walk test.
The problem, though, is that the 200 million group did not. So there is no dose response relationship. Generally, if a drug is real, the more drug you apply the stronger treatment effect you observe (lots of caveats to this generality, but none seem too relevant here).
Further, the 100 million group on showed a positive outcome in the six minute walk test. It failed to demonstrate efficacy consistently in the other three tests the researchers used to measure resilience against age-related frailty. In some cases it was even worse than placebo.
I would happily bet an amount of money that mattered to me that this result would fail to be replicated in a randomized, placebo-controlled study."
... into investing their fortune into some pot of gold that waits at the end of the rainbow.
And BTW: If such a method actually worked well, people would rather not make this public, but use it in seclusion, knowing well that otherwise they would soon compete with way too many eternal-living people for resources on this planet.
Or would you think that somebody who's able to live for 1000 years would still want to work for others after the first 100?
"I've never seen a Government do anything good, ever, when revolutionary new advances occur."
Really? You've never seen treated municipal drinking water (reducing water-borne illnesses), sewer systems, regulated hospitals, food safety laws, etc?
Put down the Ayn Rand, and perhaps join us in reality?
I don't mind aging. As I get older, I just get more dangerous.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I don't think we can expect gigantic leaps in age. I think the main benefit is that the years you do have are healthier.
... into investing their fortune into some pot of gold that waits at the end of the rainbow.
And BTW: If such a method actually worked well, people would rather not make this public, but use it in seclusion, knowing well that otherwise they would soon compete with way too many eternal-living people for resources on this planet.
Or would you think that somebody who's able to live for 1000 years would still want to work for others after the first 100?
Not gonna happen. At least not for long.
Such a discovery will require a lot of people. Lot of people with even more friend/families that you would need to shut up.
Add to this the greed. You live forever, but you could be rich by selling the thing to billionaire. And now you got even more people to shut up.
Elok
For specific organs, it's likely that they'll be able to clone them without having to clone an entire person. Just figure out the right chemical signals, and have your DNA grow a new heart in a pig to be harvested in a year. Oh, and edit the DNA a touch first to remove any known issues that won't lead to organ rejection.
Probably the hardest part in all of this is wiring up the nerves that get disconnected. Much of the organ control in the body is chemical, but there's still plenty we don't know. That's the big thing getting in the way of growing replacement limbs--if you can't wire up the nerves, they won't work. And this isn't like wiring a device where there are defined connections--I suspect it's all random, and the brain just develops to use whatever it finds, but an adult brain isn't prepared to start over.
The sense of entitlement is strong in this one. "Those old farts had better die on schedule and get out of my way." You too will be an old fart one day, except that these treatments will be much further along and you'll be the one telling the kids to fuck off.
my body starts to wear - f.e. my eyes are getting worse and I'll need glasses soon ... annoying. Anyway, as my body starts to wear and show signs of the perpetual usage it's under I phantasize about being able to counteract signs of age, cyberpunk style. Like imagineing some drug I could take to regain brain performance (I feel that declining a little even though I'm putting it to good use (47, just enrolled in college for a BSc+MSc in Media-CompSci now that my daughter is out of the house) or some bioware/cyber treatment that replenishes joints and vertebrae disks and pushes bones back into shape.
Just at the turn of this year I finally had a long overdue laser surgery on my inner nose. I've got an ever so slightly lopsided skull and had breathing problems as a result - this is not that uncommen. However, the mordern laser surgery was minimaly invasive and changed my quality of life in leaps and bounds - for the first time I can breathe correctly through the nose for extended periods of time. A change that has countless minor effects on my everday life including how I can socially interact.
Long story short, we have bodies that are imperfect, wear out and we eventually die and that *does* suck. We all have our personal apocalypse coming and I really wish we'd have some way to add another 5 decades or so. I personally can't complain - I have good long-life genes in the family, I'm notably fit for my age - performing arts training, social dancing, cute ladies and sex as a hobby, bike as main means of transport, lean minimalist lifestyle - and I plan to get fitter - but I still notice end of warranty moving in on me.
If there were a way to slow this, even if it were expensive - costing like a house or something - I'd try to do it. However, if I had the means to extend my life notably vis-a-vis my peers and I'd have to watch them wither and die whilst I stay lean and fit, I am well aware of the fact that that would only work out for me if I'd go along with a notable change of perspective on life in general. I'd probably eventually move to become some sort of guru to help people live their life to the fullest. ... After all, imagine what wisdom you gain from consciously living for 150 years or so. ... Quite awesome a proposition if you ask me.
My thoughts on this. I do have those these days and I sure hope that someone makes some significant advances in anti-aging tech. Soon. That would be cool.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
The problem we face today is that longevity increases, but healthy years don't.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Well, mostly because they eliminated most other ways you could die.
You know why most people die of cancer these days? Because we don't die earlier from diseases anymore.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I expect other factors (non medical) are coming into play that are counteracting it’s benefits for some people.
The people who are in their 70’s and 80’s who are active and involved are actually in better conditions then they ever been in. However for the people the same age who have been more or less isolated and inactive are in worse case.
I think the problem isn’t Health Care but general Caring.
As the boomers who grew up in the Hippie culture to the yuppie culture to the hot mess that Trump personifies. They have grown up in the Me culture and didn’t spend time actually caring about other people. And now they are older not so many people are caring about them. Medicare is great we can lock up the elderly and we don’t need to directly pay for it and we don’t need to face older people or bother being considerate of the inevitable fate that we are destined to have as well.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.