Young organs may not be a fountain of youth for recipients
New research suggests that transplanting young organs into older recipients does not necessarily reverse biological aging, as the transplanted organs tend to adopt the biological age of the recipient. This finding challenges the 'replacement' theory of longevity often discussed in biotechnology circles.
Why it matters
Understanding the limitations of organ transplantation for rejuvenation is crucial for the future of longevity research and medical ethics.
New studies pour cold water on a prominent rejuvenation idea.
Around this time last year I was attending an aging conference in Manchester, listening to a talk about fly aging, when my phone started pinging. News outlets were reporting that a hot mic had caught Russia’s and China’s leaders discussing the possibility of living forever .
“With the developments of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality,” Russia’s Vladimir Putin reportedly told China’s Xi Jinping.
He seems to have been referring to the “replacement” theory of longevity, which has been supported by multiple experiments that involved physically stitching young mice to old ones. Something about the young blood rejuvenated the old mice. Perhaps young organs could rejuvenate world leaders in their 70s, too.
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