The first is sirolimus, an immunosuppressive drug used in organ transplantation. As we all know, the aging of immune system is closely related to disease and death. A study published in the journal Nature in 2009 found that sirolimus can prolong the life span of mice by 14%, which is the first drug to prolong the life span of mammals. Since then, this kind of research has exploded.
20 1 1, everolimus, originally used for cancer treatment, began clinical trials in humans. Three different doses of everolimus were used in the experiment, aiming at the elderly over 65 years old. I want to know whether these drugs can reverse the immune system that is deteriorating due to aging. After a 6-week trial of 2 18 subjects, compared with the placebo group, the antibody (immune response index) in the blood of the subjects in the medication group increased by 20%. It is worth noting that high-dose everolimus group will make the subjects feel tired and have oral ulcers.
In addition to improving immunity, these drugs can also affect protein called mTOR. Studies on mice have found that protein seems to be affected by the body's calorie consumption. When calories are limited (reducing nutrient intake), mTOR will be inhibited, which will make cells turn into energy storage state (cell dormancy) and start the anti-aging mechanism. This truth is a bit like what people often say: eating less leads to longevity. Of course, this is still a theory, which needs more experiments to verify.
In a word, from the positive findings of animal experiments to human experiments, the future of these drugs seems quite promising.
The second is the diabetes drug metformin, which is often used to control diabetes. Animal experiments show that it can prolong life by about 5%. As for humans, there is no evidence of clinical trials. However, only two months ago, an observational study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism collected 6.5438+0.8 million British people and followed up for 5 years. It was found that compared with people who did not have diabetes and did not receive metformin treatment (control group), before using it, except age, sex, smoking habits, physical condition and other factors that may affect life expectancy.
It is said that scientists are convinced of this and have taken many different drugs for off-label use, including low-dose sirolimus. Other drugs, including low-dose aspirin, cholesterol-lowering drugs and statins, have also been studied to prolong life. If you think about it carefully, drugs are originally used to treat diseases and restore health. How can a really good drug not prolong life? Right?
Last year, the Internet god Goolge announced that he would invest in Calico, a new company focusing on health, especially diseases related to aging. I believe this will make the future development of biotechnology more interesting. The CEO of this company is 63-year-old Arthur D. Levinson, who has a distinguished experience. He used to be the CEO of Genentech Gene Company, and also served as the director of many institutions such as Goolge, Apple and Roche Pharmaceutical Company. After Calico was founded, he resigned as CEO of Genentech, but continued to serve as director and consultant of Genentech, Apple, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and many biotechnology and scientific institutions.
If you ask about the future development or business opportunities of Changshou Pill, hehe, I believe that technology plus biotechnology is a perfect combination (see Arthur D. Levinson's experience again). Especially the aging market, the scale is huge and the potential is considerable. It is worth noting that the new drug review agencies in the United States and Europe have not recognized that "aging" is a "disease" that requires medical intervention. R&D institutions can only use immune insufficiency, diabetes or heart disease in clinical trials to smuggle (join) the effects of prolonging life or improving immunity that they hope to see. On this premise, if it is finally proved that the drug can really prolong life, then the new drug will not be called "Changsheng Pill" when it is introduced, but a name similar to "Immune Enhancement Pill".
& lt This column reflects experts' opinions and does not represent our position >