Loading ...Drug to clear ‘zombie cells’ from body could be first anti-ageing treatment after ‘impressive’ human trial
A drug to fight ageing may finally be on the horizon after the first trial in humans showed ‘impressive’ results.
For many years scientists have known that an accumulation of senescent cells in the body is linked to ageing symptoms such as frailty and arthritis, as well as diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Senescent cells – also known as zombie cells – are not completely dead so are not cleared out by the body, but are too damaged to repair tissue or carry out normal functions. Unable to repair itself or clear out the waste, the body gradually deteriorates.Previously animal studies have shown that removing these cells reverses the ageing process, extends lifespan, and restores lost youth.
Now for the first time scientists in the US have shown improvements in humans using a drug that sweeps away the defunct cells.