Blocking key aging driver can extend lifespan in mice by up to 25%

Inhibiting inflammatory protein interleukin-11 led to leaner mice with improved muscle function and better frailty measure scores.

Researchers from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science at Imperial College London and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore have published compelling evidence in Nature suggesting that targeting the protein interleukin-11 (IL-11) could not only counteract aging but also extend lifespan.

This preclinical study, conducted on mice, demonstrated that inhibiting IL-11 leads to remarkable improvements in health metrics and longevity. Mice treated with an anti-IL-11 antibody showed enhanced muscle function, reduced fat accumulation and preserved telomere length and mitochondrial health. The intervention resulted in an extension of lifespan by up to 25% in female mice and 22.4% in male mice, with significant reductions in cancer incidence and other age-related diseases.

Understandably, these results caused headlines around the world and a social media furore. Longevity author and commentator Andrew Steele tweeted:

“This is a big result! 25% life extension puts it up there with rapamycin, the top-ranked drug when it comes up extending lifespan in mice.

“Even more exciting, the antibody in question is already in human trials for autoimmune disease, and it looks safe!”

My take on this: Multimorbidity, the coexistence of two or more (and often multiple) chronic conditions within an individual, presents a huge challenge to global healthcare systems. This phenomenon, the risk of which increases with aging, encompasses a range of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders, among others, and suffering from multimorbidity also increases the risk of developing diseases of aging, fueling a vicious circle of physical and cognitive decline and mortality.

The increasing prevalence of multimorbidity is a substantial burden on healthcare resources; it significantly diminishes quality of life and complicates medical treatment, and effective interventions that can delay the onset or progression of these conditions are desperately needed. The new findings on IL-11 offer a promising avenue for future research and therapeutic development.

The team at Imperial College and Duke-NUS initially began their research into IL-11 while studying its role in various organs.

Anissa Widjaja, an assistant professor in the Duke-NUS Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Programme, explained that the project kicked off when a collaborator sent the team some tissue samples for another project.

“Out of curiosity, I ran some experiments to check for IL11 levels,” she said. “From the readings, we could clearly see that the levels of IL11 increased with age and that’s when we got really excited.”

Explore this research and its potential to extend lifespan and improve healthspan right HERE.

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