New Buck Institute study extends life span to human equivalent of 400 to 500 years

By Richard Halstead Marin Independent Journal

The Buck Institute sits nestled in the hills of Novato, California on Thursday, Mar. 28, 2013. (IJ photo/Frankie Frost)

A new study by scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato suggests that it may be possible to extend life span far longer than previously thought.

Experimenting with nematodes, the researchers combined two techniques that have previously demonstrated effectiveness in increasing the life span of a variety of organisms in the laboratory: yeast, nematodes, flies and rodents. The results, which are reported in the current online edition of "Cell Reports," surprised them.

The worms lived to the human equivalent of 400 to 500 years, about five times longer than the scientists had expected.

"When we got this result, it was kind of a shock," said Pankaj Kapahi, the lead scientist on the study and a Buck faculty member.

Kapahi said in addition to implications for human life extension, the study's results could also lead to new approaches for battling age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Kapahi said the research suggests the possibility of employing combination therapies for aging in much the same way as is done for cancer and HIV.

One of the life extension techniques used in the experiment was the drug rapamycin, which is already licensed for use in humans.

"It was a well-known anti-cancer drug. Later on, it became clear it has life-extension effects," Kapahi said. "It also slows down a number of other age-related diseases."

Scientists discovered rapamycin's life-extension capability while searching for a drug that mimics the effects of caloric restriction, which had previously been identified as a means of extending life in laboratory studies.

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New Buck Institute study extends life span to human equivalent of 400 to 500 years