Preventing aging and restoring youthfulness has always been one of the most cherished goals of medical science. Like the quest for the legendary Holy Grail, the fight against aging is an extraordinarily difficult task, moreover, there are doubts that it can ever be solved at all.
However, one of the startups seems to have found a way to solve this problem, and is currently starting to test its method. Ambrosia, based in Monterey, California, intends to begin clinical trials in the near future to rejuvenate people over 35 through blood transfusions from young people.
The method developed by the company is based on a combination of the results of previous studies. This includes the work of Amy Weigers from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, who in 2014 came to the conclusion that combining the circulatory systems of young and old mice makes it possible to achieve rejuvenation of the body of the latter. This surgical masterpiece has been called parabiosis and has existed since the 1860s.
As part of such studies, scientists surgically sutured the skin of two mice together so that young blood entered the circulatory system of old mice. They recorded a correlation between this procedure and the improvement in appearance, as well as the functioning of a weakened and enlarged heart in old mice.
In their tests, the Ambrosia specialists will not use all the blood, limiting themselves to plasma transfusions. Participants in the trials will undergo plasma transfusions from donors under 25 years of age. The company will test their blood for 100 key biomarkers, first before the test and then one month after the transfusion.
These clinical trials have generated a lot of interest from many people, including co-founder of PayPal and major investor in Facebook, Peter Thiel. According to information sources, he intends to undergo a blood plasma transfusion test himself. However, Thiel is far from the only one interested in the study. Ambrosia has faced significant resistance and has recently been criticized about the methodology and possible outcomes of plasma transfusion.
Critics point to the paid nature of participation in the trials, likening them to untested stem cell transplants that have spread in the United States. Each of the participants will have to pay $ 8,000, which will supposedly cover the cost of plasma from a blood bank, laboratory tests, ethical examination, as well as insurance and administrative fees.
Another subject of controversy relates to the way the test is carried out. The fact is that the authors did not provide for any control group and the so-called "placebo group". In addition, participants do not have to be sick or elderly: all that is needed is to be 35 years of age or older and have 8 thousand dollars. Finally, one should take into account such a factor as the lack of proven biomarkers of aging in the body, with which you can record the results through a blood test.
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"There is no clinical evidence (that the procedure will be successful) and you are simply abusing people's trust and the hype around your experiences," says neuroscientist Tony Wiss-Korey, one of the participants in the 2014 Harvard study.
