Chinese scientists develop gene therapy that delays ageing in mice and extends their lifespans by up to a QUARTER – claiming it could one day be used in humans
- Chinese gene therapy strategy involves CRISPR-Cas9 to delay ageing process
- It staves off cellular senescence - a fundamental driver of ageing in organisms
- They identified one gene in particular that affects cellular senescence - KAT7A new gene therapy has been shown to reverse some of the effects of ageing in mice and extend their lifespans by up to a quarter.
Chinese researchers used CRISPR-Cas9, a powerful gene-editing tool, to inactivate a gene called KAT7, which is a key contributor to cellular ageing.
An injection of a viral vector encoded for KAT7 reduced what is known as cellular senescence – the end of cell division, which organisms need to grow and replenish tissue.
Although experiments were conducted with mice in the lab, the experts think their findings may one day contribute to similar treatments for humans.
They believe there is a lack of investigation on the intervention of genes to treat ageing and age-related diseases.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have shed new light on the regulation of ageing. They say there is a lack of systematic investigation on the intervention of these genes to treat ageing and aging-related diseasesThe specific therapy they used and the results were a world first, said co-supervisor of the project a specialist in ageing and regenerative medicine from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
In the lab experiments, all mice’s lives were extended by 25 per cent on average.
'These mice show after six to eight months overall improved appearance and grip strength and most importantly they have extended lifespan for about 25 per cent,' study author Professor Qu Jing from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences told Reuters.
The team of biologists used the renowned genome editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9, which is used for making precise edits in DNA.
CRISPR-Cas9 has been likened to a pair of genetic scissors, allowing for tiny snippets of DNA to be removed and replaced.
For this study, the method was used to screen thousands of genes for those with particularly strong drivers of cellular senescence.
CRISPR is a DNA-editing technique in which scientists can programme a molecule to target and 'snip' a specific section or element of someone's genetic material (illustrated in stock image – not to scale)
KAT7 is one of tens of thousands of genes found in the cells of mammals.
Researchers inactivated KAT7 in the livers of the mice using intravenous injection of a lentiviral vector.
Lentiviral vectors have been described as 'vehicles' for gene transfer in mammalian cells. Lentivirus is simply a type of virus.
Intravenous injection of a lentiviral vector encoding KAT7 reduced the proportions of senescent cells and proinflammatory cells in the liver, and extended healthspan and lifespan of aged mice.
The results suggest that gene therapy based on inactivation of a single gene may be sufficient to extend mouse lifespan.
KAT7 depletion reduced cellular senescence, whereas KAT7 overexpression accelerated cellular senescence.
'We just tested the function of the gene in different kinds of cell types, in the human stem cell, the mesenchymal progenitor cells, in the human liver cell and the mouse liver cell and for all of these cells we didn't see any detectable cellular toxicity,' Qu said. 'And for the mice, we also didn't see any side effect yet.'
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