Can a "magic" protein slow down the aging process?

Elevian is one of many companies looking for ways to increase lifespan - in this case, using a protein called GDF11. But challenges lie ahead.
This article is part of Upstart, a series about young companies exploiting new science and technology.
Several Years A few years ago, scientists studying aging at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used a somewhat Frankensteinian technique known as parabiosis - surgically joining a young mouse and an old mouse so that they share blood - to see what would happen to the heart and skeletal muscle tissue. They knew from previous research that putting young blood into old mice made them biologically younger and that young mice exposed to old blood aged faster.
Harvard researchers Amy Wagers and Dr. Richard Lee discovered that the old mouse's heart tissue had been repaired and rejuvenated, becoming young again. In fact, the size of the old mouse's heart had shrunk to that of a young heart.
"We all wondered, what is the magic substance in the blood ?" said Lee Rubin, professor of stem cells and regenerative medicine at Harvard and co-director of the neuroscience program at the Stem Cell Institute. The "magic" they identified was a protein, GDF11, one of tens of thousands produced in the human body. Dr. Rubin's lab also found that GDF11 in mice stimulated the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with learning and memory. Dr. Wagers' lab found that GDF11 also rejuvenates skeletal muscle tissue. The scientists' findings were published in the journals Cell and Science in 2013 and 2014.
The next obvious question: Could GDF11 be harnessed to promote regeneration and repair in humans? In 2017, Drs. Rubin, Wagers and Lee, along with five others, founded pharmaceutical start-up Elevian with the goal of commercializing GDF11-based therapies to stop, slow or reverse diseases associated with aging. It's a big leap from mice to humans, but one that could have far-reaching consequences.
"We are interested in proteins like GDF11 that are excreted into the bloodstream because they can cause changes throughout the body," said Dr. Mark Allen, CEO of Elevian. "And that's the kind of change we want."
ImageScientists at Elevian headquarters looking at markers of new neuron formation in rats treated with GDF11.Credit...Cody O'Loughlin for The New York Times
Dr. Allen started his first healthcare business while in medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, and he left his residency in 2000 to start a second.In early 2017, he and his investment partner, Sebastian Giwa, an economist , were looking to launch a new one that would develop therapies targeting the degenerative processes involved in aging. They considered two dozen potential research projects before settling on GDF11.

Health Jul 19, 2022 0 101 Add to Reading List

Can a "magic" protein slow down the aging process?

Elevian is one of many companies looking for ways to increase lifespan - in this case, using a protein called GDF11. But challenges lie ahead.

This article is part of Upstart, a series about young companies exploiting new science and technology.

Several Years A few years ago, scientists studying aging at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used a somewhat Frankensteinian technique known as parabiosis - surgically joining a young mouse and an old mouse so that they share blood - to see what would happen to the heart and skeletal muscle tissue. They knew from previous research that putting young blood into old mice made them biologically younger and that young mice exposed to old blood aged faster.

Harvard researchers Amy Wagers and Dr. Richard Lee discovered that the old mouse's heart tissue had been repaired and rejuvenated, becoming young again. In fact, the size of the old mouse's heart had shrunk to that of a young heart.

"We all wondered, what is the magic substance in the blood ?" said Lee Rubin, professor of stem cells and regenerative medicine at Harvard and co-director of the neuroscience program at the Stem Cell Institute. The "magic" they identified was a protein, GDF11, one of tens of thousands produced in the human body. Dr. Rubin's lab also found that GDF11 in mice stimulated the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with learning and memory. Dr. Wagers' lab found that GDF11 also rejuvenates skeletal muscle tissue. The scientists' findings were published in the journals Cell and Science in 2013 and 2014.

The next obvious question: Could GDF11 be harnessed to promote regeneration and repair in humans? In 2017, Drs. Rubin, Wagers and Lee, along with five others, founded pharmaceutical start-up Elevian with the goal of commercializing GDF11-based therapies to stop, slow or reverse diseases associated with aging. It's a big leap from mice to humans, but one that could have far-reaching consequences.

"We are interested in proteins like GDF11 that are excreted into the bloodstream because they can cause changes throughout the body," said Dr. Mark Allen, CEO of Elevian. "And that's the kind of change we want."

ImageScientists at Elevian headquarters looking at markers of new neuron formation in rats treated with GDF11.Credit...Cody O'Loughlin for The New York Times

Dr. Allen started his first healthcare business while in medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, and he left his residency in 2000 to start a second.In early 2017, he and his investment partner, Sebastian Giwa, an economist , were looking to launch a new one that would develop therapies targeting the degenerative processes involved in aging. They considered two dozen potential research projects before settling on GDF11.