7. Cells that extend life
At the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh, fast-aging elderly mice with a usual lifespan of approximately 21 days were injected with stem cells from younger mice. They were given the injection approximately four days before they were expected to die, and the results were outstanding. Mice who were injected not only lived, but they live 3 times their normal lifespan, surviving for an additional 71 days. In human terms, that would be the equivalent of an 80-year old living to be 200 years old. The research was published in Nature Communications, by Mitra Lavasani in 2012. The mice were genetically engineered to be fast-aging.
This is a significant finding, it could not only extend the life of humans but also be able to delay symptoms that are correlated with aging.
