'Vampiric' treatment extends lifespan of lab rat. Can it be used in humans?
Lab rat
Sima, a 47-month-old lab rat,has broken the record to become the oldest living member of her species. The rat, whose name is the Hindi word for "limit" or "boundary" has reportedly achieved this feat thanks to experimental anti-ageing therapy, that can potentially be used in humans.Prior to her, the oldest Sprague-Dawley rat lived for 45.5 months.
The rat is part of an experiment in which a group of rodents were divided into two subgroups. One was given a placebo saline dripand, and the other received infusions of blood plasma. This plasma was taken from young animals in a sort of "vampiric treatment" to see if the blood reinfused life into the lab rats.
Dr Harold Katcher, the chief scientific officer at a California-based startup called Yuvan Research, announced the claim of the oldest living female Sprague Dawley rat.
He said that "the real point," of the experiment "is not so much to extend lifespan, but to extend youth span, to rejuvenate people, to make their golden years really potentially golden years, instead of years of pain and decrepitude".
As per him, the lengthening of life span is merely a "side-effect" of the experiment.
"But the fact is, if you manage to do that, you also manage to lengthen life and that’s not a bad side-effect," he said.
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Katcher estimates that safeandeffective treatment from plasma-based research is possible within 20 years.
But what will be the source of this plasma? Young mammals like pigs, cows, goats, sheep and even humans are possible "donors".
The scientists suggest collecting the blood of young slaughtered animals at abattoirs and/or slaughterhouses.
"I don’t like the idea, but it’s no more unethical than eating a meat sandwich."
He reasons that "when those pigs are killed,they still have a lot of life in them. We just use that extra life instead of throwing it away."
(With inputs from agencies)
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