Scientists may be able to reverse aging process in vital organs

Scientists at Harvard University think they have found a way to reverse the aging process in human organs, by isolating a blood protein found only in the young, reports Science Now.

Dr. Richard Lee, director of regenerative medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Amy Wagers, of the Department of Regenerative Biology at Harvard, made the discovery when they were working with younger and older mice and published their findings in the journal Cell.

As the heart ages, the muscle becomes think and stiff. Sometimes the heart becomes unable to relax enough between beats to circulate blood efficiently. Called diastolic heart failure, the condition is common in humans and there is no current treatment.

Researchers took an 2-year-old mice with heart disease and merged the mouse’s blood stream with that of a healthy young 2-month-old mouse using a technique known as heterochronic parabiosis. By surgically linking the mice, they were able to share a blood stream for four weeks.

They found that the older mice's hearts were able to reverse to a younger, healthier condition, and the younger mice retained their own heart health.

They later identified a protein in the blood of young mice called GDF-11, which diminishes with age. They injected this protein directly into the older mice and had the same regenerative results. They are using this protein to restore other aging tissues and organs.