2023-05-22 11:32:36
Scientists at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan have discovered a genetic modification in mice that can boost cancer-killing cells by a factor of two to seven and extend their lifespan by up to 20 percent.
The researchers aim to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, boost cancer-killing cells and explore the potential for extending human lifespan. Amid the remarkable advances that have been made over the past few decades in finding ways to extend healthy human lifespans, a recent breakthrough marks another “very important” milestone.
To reinforce the results of their groundbreaking study from last year, they have now successfully reproduced the same extraordinary results of their previous research in normal mice through a single blood stem cell transplant.
The new findings, published in the journal Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, are “very important,” according to Che-Kun James Shen, lead researcher on the study, who believes they could have profound implications for human health.
“We hope to be able to use them in the near future and I think if it works they can probably go into clinical trials next year or later this year,” he told Euronews Next.
The researchers first identified an amino acid – a protein called KLF1 – which, when altered, ‘retains all the healthy characteristics of young age’. These include “better motor function, improved learning and memory, but also better anti-cancer cells,” Shen said, adding that the mice’s hair was “a lot darker and shinier, too.”
One of the critical hallmarks of aging, fibrosis – a process characterized by the accumulation of fibrous tissue leading to impaired organ function – has also been significantly reduced.
However, the latest results show that the research team has now managed to bring the benefits of the amino acid KLF1 – which plays an important role in the transcription of genes in different blood cell types – to non-mutant mice thanks to stem cell transplants.
Reducing the risk of cancer and fighting cancer cells
Stem cell transplants are a standard therapeutic approach for certain types of blood cancer. Building on this first breakthrough, Shen’s team of scientists hopes to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and boost cancer-killing cells by genetically modifying human stem cells with KLF1.
While eliminating cancer itself is a promising prospect, Shen’s gene intervention could also have the potential to extend human lifespans.
Researchers have already identified numerous genetic variants that increase the lifespan of mice. However, a large proportion of these variants only benefited female mice. Also, no method was known to transfer the benefits of mutant mice to wild mice.
“Females always have these kinds of advantages, but in this new mouse model there are no sex differences,” Shen says. Most importantly, he adds, “many of the earlier mouse models showed side effects, but we didn’t see any in our mice.”
Trials of KLF1 have proven successful when performed in mice of diverse genetic backgrounds, suggesting that no specific genetic background affects the results. In other words, the benefits of the research could be universal, suggesting a broader impact.
“I think the model will probably work for everyone,” Shen told Euronews Next. “And you don’t have to do a complete bone marrow transplant, a partial replacement of 30 or 20 percent is enough to make the mice cancer-resistant.”
The enhanced cancer-killing ability seen in the mutant mice is due to various biological changes that occur after the gene manipulation.
However, the researchers found that the ability of certain cancer-killing cells, such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, which carry the amino acid substitution, “all have a higher cancer-killing ability that is two to seven times higher than wild-type – Mice”.
When the team found that the amino acid’s genetic modification “is only expressed in blood cells,” they tried injecting specific types of blood cells from the mutant mice into wild mice — with promising results.
Does this mean that bone marrow transplants to fight cancer will soon be available in humans? Shen is confident that this could soon become a reality.
“I think it has to be addressed ethically, but yeah, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Shen says, adding that they’re already working to capitalize on their findings to improve cancer therapies for people .
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