The pill that turns back the clock

by MARK PRIGG, Evening Standard

Scientists have discovered a way of turning back the body clock which could cut the huge number of deaths among the elderly from flu and other viruses.

They have identified a hormone that can regenerate the body's ability to produce key cells that fight off infection. It can turn back the clock on a damaged immune system, returning it to its younger, far more effective state.

The findings are by Richard Aspinall at Imperial College in London. The hormone is being hailed as HRT for the immune system by one expert.

The cure could be as simple as taking a pill once a month containing hormone boosters. Scientists claim to have enhanced the immune system of ageing mice with hormone injections.

According to Dr Richard Faragher of the University of Brighton, who is presenting the research at the British Association Festival of Science today, it is a huge leap forward for treatment of the elderly.

He said: "This is really a breakthrough, as it has the potential to allow us to boost the levels of T-cells in the elderly, and therefore their entire defence system.

"As we grow old, a part of our body called the thalamus turns to fat. The thalamus, unfortunately for the elderly, is what produces the T cells that form a huge part of our immune system.

"Once it turns to fat, we are left only with the T cells already in our bloodstream. There really aren't many of these and they die out quite quickly, leaving us open to any virus or infection.

"If it can be made to work successfully in humans, this would be akin to HRT treatment for the immune system."

Dr Faragher's team has made progress in finding human subjects for further research. He said: "We are looking into Werner's syndrome, in which people age four or five times faster than normal, and generally die in their thirties of forties.

"What we have found researching ageing is that it's hard to find subjects because they are all so different; you can have a 70-yearold who is fit as a fiddle, and a 60-year old close to death. Strangely enough, those with Werner's syndrome all seem to develop at the same rate - they are, in effect, the dream volunteers for any kind of ageing research."

He added: "There are an awful lot of popular misconceptions about ageing and what we can do about it. The most common is the confusion between our life expectancy and our lifespan. Our life expectancy has increased dramatically over the last decade, but our lifespan has remained constant."

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