Israeli scientists have extended the lifespan of laboratory mice by 23 percent with a special protein in a new study that could lay the groundwork for humans to live to 120 years, foreign media reported.
Israeli scientists reportedly increased the supply of SIRT6 protein in 250 mice, increasing the life expectancy of subjects by not only 23 percent, but also younger and less susceptible to cancer than the average mouse. SIRT6 proteins “control the rate of aging” but usually decrease with age.
Professor Haim Cohen of bay land University, who led the study, told the Times of Israel: “The changes we see in mice may also apply to humans, and if that’s the case, it’s exciting.” ”
In 2019, before the New Coronation pneumonia pandemic, the United Nations estimated the average life expectancy of humans at 72.6 years. If humans can consume the same amount of SIRT6 protein, the average life expectancy could be nearly 120 years, Cohen said.
Cohen’s lab is currently looking for ways to safely increase the level of the body’s SIRT6 protein. Because experimental mice are genetically modified products, but humans need drugs to achieve the same effect. “We are developing small molecules that can increase SIRT6 levels or make existing proteins more active,” the scientist said. He added that he expected concrete results in two to three years.
Cohen has reportedly been studying the subject for a long time, and in 2012 he had increased life expectancy in mice by 15 percent, but his treatment was only effective in male mice at the time.
The new study, conducted in collaboration with international scientists, including National Institutes of Health professor Raphael de Cabo, made significant progress, with males living 30 percent longer than their counterparts in the control group and females having a 15 percent increase in life expectancy.
The symptoms of normal aging in mice are the loss of the ability to extract energy from fat and lactic acid after a short period of non-eating. But, according to the study, animals with high sirT6 levels, though older, have no such problem. In addition, they not only live longer, but also live better, because they have less cholesterol, fewer cases of cancer, and can run faster.
