Chapter 1: Groundbreaking Research on Lifespan Extension

Recent advancements in scientific research provide encouraging news regarding the potential for reducing disease and cancer. An article published by UK Research and Innovation on July 18, 2024, highlights a study titled, “Turning off inflammatory protein leads to longer, healthier lifespans in mice.”

Scientists from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science and Imperial College London have made a significant discovery: disabling a protein known as IL-11 can enhance the healthy lifespan of mice by nearly 25%.

They conducted experiments by eliminating the gene responsible for producing IL-11 (interleukin 11) in mice, resulting in an average lifespan increase of over 20%. Additionally, 75-week-old mice—comparable to approximately 55 years in human age—were administered an injection of an anti-IL-11 antibody, a drug that inhibits IL-11’s effects in the body.

The research team has been exploring IL-11 for several years. Assistant Professor Anissa Widjaja, a co-corresponding author from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, remarked, “This project started in 2017 when a colleague provided us with tissue samples for another study. Out of curiosity, I conducted some experiments to measure IL-11 levels. The results showed a clear increase in IL-11 levels with age, which was exciting!”

She further noted, “We discovered that these elevated levels contribute to various adverse effects in the body, including inflammation and hindering organ healing and regeneration after injuries. The production of IL-11 rises significantly after humans reach approximately 55 years, leading to more pronounced signs of aging.”

Professor Stuart Cook, another co-corresponding author from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science (MRC LMS), Imperial College London, and Duke-NUS Medical School, added, “The activity of the IL-11 gene escalates in all mouse tissues as they age. When activated, it causes multimorbidity, manifesting as age-related diseases and functional decline throughout the body, affecting everything from vision and hearing to muscle strength and cardiac function.”

The findings were published in the journal Nature, indicating that mice treated with the anti-IL-11 drug from 75 weeks of age until death experienced a median lifespan increase of 22.4% in males and 25% in females. Treated mice lived an average of 155 weeks, while untreated mice averaged only 120 weeks.

This treatment significantly reduced cancer-related deaths in the subjects, alongside a decrease in diseases associated with fibrosis, chronic inflammation, and metabolic issues. Additionally, the treatment exhibited minimal side effects.

Professor Cook stated, “These results are incredibly promising. The treated mice displayed fewer instances of cancer and were free from typical signs of aging and frailty. We also observed reduced muscle wasting and enhanced muscle strength, indicating that the older mice receiving anti-IL-11 were healthier.”

“Previous life-extending therapies often had poor side effects or did not work effectively across genders. However, that does not seem to be the case with IL-11,” he continued. “While our findings are currently limited to mice, they suggest the intriguing possibility that similar treatments could benefit elderly humans. Anti-IL-11 therapies are undergoing human clinical trials for other conditions, potentially paving the way for future studies on aging humans.”

However, the researchers emphasize the need for further clinical trials to verify the safety and efficacy of these treatments in humans, given that the study was conducted exclusively in mice. The research was primarily funded by the National Medical Research Council (Singapore) and the Medical Research Council (UK).

Chapter 2: The Potential of Anti-IL-11 Treatment

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