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Swiss breakthroughs in anti-aging medicine

Swiss breakthroughs in anti-aging medicine

Tokyo (SCCIJ) – Scientists at Swiss universities have made important discoveries that could help decelerate specific aging processes. A chemical compound connected to pomegranates and other fruits has passed a clinical trial confirming that it can reenergize muscle cells. Also, human stem cells producing neurons in the brain can possibly be reactivated, opening the pathway to new forms of anti-aging treatments.

Swiss breakthroughs in anti-aging medicine

A pomegranate prepared for analysis in Johan Auwerx’s lab at EPFL. (© EPFL / Alain Herzog)

“Game changer”

Skeletal muscles begin to lose strength and mass once a person reaches the age of 50. Improving the functioning of the cells’ powerhouse called mitochondria can improve this process. A clinical trial showed that the substance urolithin A has this ability. This compound springs from biomolecules in pomegranates. The trial involved two entities of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) – the spin-off Amazentis and the Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology (LISP).

The results of the Swiss trial also proved that consuming high doses of the synthetic compound poses no risk to human health. Amazentis, based at EPFL’s Innovation Park, hopes to harness the promising results to bring the product to market quickly. “These latest findings crystallize how urolithin A could be a game-changer for human health,” said Johan Auwerx, a professor at LISP.

Pomegranate contains ellagitannins. When ingested, these molecules are converted into a compound called urolithin A in the human gut. However, not everyone produces this compound naturally. But the good news is that synthetic production is possible. An article published in 2016 showed that nematode worms exposed to this compound lived 45 percent longer than a control group. Likewise, older mice showed 40 percent better endurance while running after two weeks of treatment.

Swiss breakthroughs in anti-aging medicine

The image depicts genetically labeled stem cells and their progeny in the mouse brain. The picture presents an artistic coloration. (© University of Basel)

Refreshed brain stem cells

Separately, scientists from the University of Basel have investigated the activity of stem cells in specific regions of the brain of mice. With increasing age, however, the stem cells become increasingly inactive and divide less frequently into new neurons. They transition into a “quiescent” or dormant state. So far, it was unclear why stem cells in the adult and aged brain fall into a state of rest.

But a research team led by Professor Verdon Taylor from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel has now discovered which factors block the entry of stem cells into cell division. The researchers could find a gene regulator as the critical mechanism that controls cell proliferation. Also, they successfully stimulated the production of new nerve cells. These findings may be extrapolated from mice to humans because mammalian brains work similarly. “Brain damage caused by degenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases could be repaired in the future,” the University of Basel said hopefully.

Text: SCCIJ with materials of EPFL and University of Basel

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