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Category: life extension

Periodic Therapeutic Phlebotomy Mitigates Systemic Aging Phenotypes by Promoting Bone Marrow Function

Leeches, anyone? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1259991996251634&set…680&type=3

Aging is the primary risk factor for numerous chronic diseases, making the identification of safe and effective anti-aging strategies a critical focus in biomedical research. Heterochronic parabiosis by blood exchange shows that the exchange interaction between young and old plasma can exert anti-aging effects through exchange of bloodborne factors. However, the limited plasma source greatly affects clinical translation. Here, we demonstrate that periodic therapeutic phlebotomy in D-galactose-induced aging models exerts significant and comprehensive anti-aging effects, which is reflected by a notable improvement in aging-associated behavioral deficits and neurogenesis, a significant decrease in the level of circulating senescence-associated secretory phenotypes, and an obvious mitigation of aging-associated structural degradation and molecular alterations within the muscle, bone, liver, kidney, and nervous systems. Mechanistically, periodic therapeutic phlebotomy induces bone marrow microenvironment restoration through functional rescue of mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells, thereby reestablishing balanced hematopoietic homeostasis. This hematopoietic revitalization subsequently drives systemic improvements in peripheral blood composition and function. In conclusion, our work provides preliminary evidence suggesting that periodic therapeutic phlebotomy exerts anti-aging effects by restoring bone marrow function and mitigating aging phenotypes, subsequently driving peripheral blood functional restoration. Given its technical simplicity and safety profile, this periodic therapeutic phlebotomy strategy will hold potential to pave the way for clinical translation.

A Startup Has Been Quietly Pitching Cloned Human Bodies to Transfer Your Brain Into

That hasn’t stopped some from exploring the idea as part of a secretive effort to realize an alternative to anti-aging tech that sounds like it was ripped straight out of a dystopian science fiction novel. A billionaire-backed stealth startup, called R3 Bio, recently announced that it was raising money to develop non-sentient monkey “organ sacks,” as Wired reported last week, an eyebrow-raising alternative to animal testing. Such structures would contain all typical organs excluding the brain, ultimately serving as a source for donor organs and tissues.

But according to a sprawling followup investigation by MIT Technology Review, R3 Bio’s founders secretly have a far more ambitious goal in mind: creating entire “brainless clones” of the human body that aging or ill individuals could one day transplant their brain into. One advantage of not developing the brain in the donor bodies, albeit a ghoulish one: such a brain-free clone would neatly circumvent certain moral conundrums over the concept.

Still, to call the idea ethically fraught would be a vast understatement. Despite an insider likening a pitch they heard from R3’s founder, John Schloendorn, to a “close encounter of the third kind” with “Dr. Strangelove” in an interview with Tech Review, the company has since distanced itself from the idea of brainless human clones.

Bile acid and steroid signatures tied to extreme longevity

Centenarians often live to 100+ due to a combination of protective genetic factors, which account for up to 50%, and healthy lifestyles, such as plant-forward diets, regular, natural movement and strong social connections. While these “agers” often possess unique immune system signatures, understanding the metabolic signs of healthy aging is not yet fully understood.

In a new study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, researchers have discovered that centenarians have a distinct blood metabolite pattern that is not just an extension of normal aging. In particular, they show uniquely higher levels of certain primary and secondary bile acids and preserved levels of several steroids, patterns that diverge from the typical age trends seen in non-centenarians and that are linked to lower death risk. The study is published in the journal GeroScience.

“Our study points to measurable chemical fingerprints in the blood that are associated with living a very long and healthy life. If we can understand those fingerprints, we may identify biological pathways that could contribute to protecting people from age-related decline,” explains corresponding author Stefano Monti, Ph.D., professor of medicine at the school.

Diego Zarco develops biostasis in Mexico

Cryonics and biostasis have been little known and even less practiced in South America. Diego Zarco is working to change that in Mexico. Diego started Criogenia Avanzada in Mexico City and has been developing and funding the organization, preparing to offer SST (standby, stabilization, and transport) services with storage to be done outside the country.

In this discussion, Max More asks Diego how he become interested in cryonics, what his organization does, where Criogenia Avanzada is located in the city and how it will reach patients quickly, and how his experience in the music industry prepared him for the difficult work of making biostasis work in practice.

Scientists Discover How to Stop Vision Loss Before It Starts

Scientists have identified molecules that can protect the eye’s cone cells from degeneration, a major cause of vision loss. The discovery points to new drug targets—and even uncovers compounds that may be harmful.

Researchers led by Botond Roska at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), along with an international team, have uncovered genetic pathways and chemical compounds that can help protect cone photoreceptors. These cells are damaged in diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss.

Why cone cells matter for sight.

Aubrey de Grey — How close are we to robust mouse rejuvenation, and why does that matter?

Full talk at Future Day 2026 — link in reply 🔗

Polymath and trailblazer in bio-rejuvenation Aubrey de Grey gave a talk at Future Day 2026 on the next phase of robust mouse rejuvenation trials!

Synopsis: The “damage repair” approach to bringing aging under medical control has made huge strides since I first proposed it 25 years ago. However, since it is a divide-and-conquer strategy, we should not be surprised at the absence of progress in the “bottom line” of life extension, even in mice. Can we realistically expect that to change any time soon? I will present reasons to believe that we can, in the form of accelerating progress in proofs of efficacy of individual treatments, together with initial proof of concept that combining damage repair modalities will give additive benefits.

0:00 Intro.
0:29 Talk starts.
1:28 Age related vs infectious diseases.
3:26Epidemic of the chronic conditions of late life — why?
4:42 Ways to be sick: popular view.
7:10 Aging in three words (metabolism, damage, pathology)
11:46 Ways to be sick: correct view.
15:29 What we do these days against aging — Geriatrics.
18:21 Gerontology: A more promising approach?
20:57 Metabolism is complex.
22:37 Maintenance: A common sense alternative.
24:39 Comparison: car maintenance.
26:00 7 deadly things.
29:17 Cell 153:1194 — too many citations to count.
30:22 The first round of the race to RMR (Robust Mouse Rejuvenation)
38:43 Females: yay, additivity!
40:09 Males: messier, but mostly the same story.
41:02 What health indices did we measure?
43:23 RMR2: ASAP! See levf.org/rmr2
46:30 AUBRAI
48:36 Learn more and help!
51:11 How has the longevity industry vibe changed over the last 7 years?
56:32 LEV Foundation only org working on this combination of damage repair regimes.
57:55 Has AI made progress in helping solve aging? In-silico medicine.
1:01:16 Changes to seven deadly things?
1:04:54 Hallmarks of aging — defacto taxonomy — difficulty translating to other taxonomies?
1:06:17 Has the damage repair methodology been attracting people over?
1:09:56 Stradelling both academia and private industry — but what about the state?
1:13:36 Robust Mouse Rejuvenation timelines under ideal funding.
1:19:49 Infections.
1:25:46 Treatment cadence.

#rejuvenation #medicine #health #aging #ageing.

Continue reading “Aubrey de Grey — How close are we to robust mouse rejuvenation, and why does that matter?” | >

A World Where Anyone Who Needs a Bone Marrow Transplant Gets One — Kevin Caldwell — Ossium Health

Imagine a world where anyone who needs a bone marrow transplant can get one — on demand. No more desperate donor searches or deadly delays. Kevin Caldwell, Co-Founder & CEO, Ossium Health.

Bone marrow transplants have always depended on finding the right donor at the right time. But what if bone marrow could be stored, shipped, and used on demand—just like a drug? That’s exactly what Ossium Health is now showing in human clinical data.

Kevin Caldwell is the Co-Founder, CEO, and President of Ossium Health (https://ossiumhealth.com/), a clinical-stage bioengineering company pioneering off-the-shelf, cryopreserved bone marrow therapies derived from deceased organ donors.

Under Kevin’s leadership, Ossium has developed a novel platform designed to solve one of the most persistent challenges in transplantation medicine: timely access to compatible bone marrow for patients with life-threatening hematologic malignancies such as Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The company’s approach enables on-demand delivery of viable marrow cells, bypassing the logistical and biological constraints of traditional donor matching and scheduling.

Since its founding, Kevin has scaled Ossium from an early-stage startup into a clinical-stage company with a robust network of over 50 strategic partnerships across supply, clinical development, and commercial channels. He has led multiple financings and secured a landmark contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, validating Ossium’s relevance to national health preparedness and biomanufacturing resilience.

Continue reading “A World Where Anyone Who Needs a Bone Marrow Transplant Gets One — Kevin Caldwell — Ossium Health” | >

Senescence at the crossroads of postpartum remodeling and tumorigenesis

Cellular senescence has been linked to both beneficial and detrimental functions. Chiche, Djoual, Charifou and colleagues show that senescence supports normal postpartum mammary gland remodeling, but that when oncogenic events coincide with involution, senescent cells enhance tumorigenesis by regulating plasticity, invasion and metastasis.

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