Regenerative medicine is a new branch of medicine which deals with regrowing / replacing / re engineering / restoring / regenerating cells, organs or tissues to normal or original function, lost, due to ageing / disease / damage or defect.
While current clinical strategy focuses primarily on treating or management of symptoms, regenerative medicine focuses on providing therapies that help the body in restoring itself to a state of well-being.
Regenerative medicine is providing advanced and new solutions to expand and maintain optimal health and quality of life.
Regenerative medicine also offers multiple potential solutions for age reversal / to stay biologically young. Current potential solutions include supplements, drugs, stem cell therapies, young plasma transfusions, gene editing through CRISPR Cas9, organ support through medical devices / bionics, artificial / xeno / 3D printed organ replacements, etc.
It is expected that we will advance in some / all of these areas in the next 5 to 10 years and it is expected that FDA approved therapies will be available in the next 5 odd years itself.
Let me share the latest updates in these areas:
Supplements: A number of supplements, which have shown a positive impact in smaller human trails / in mice, are the current GOTO solutions for age reversal. These include: NAD+ precursor Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), resveratrol, pterostilbene, Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), quercetin, fisetin, curcumin, EGCG, CoenzymeQ10 (CoQ10), collagen, astragalus, astaxanthin, theanine, garlic, spermidine, apigenin, hyaluronic acid, etc. As these are generally safe, these supplements have become very popular and have become the “must haves” in the age reversal community. As different supplements act on different pathways of ageing (of the 9 established pathways), a typical age reversal enthusiast consumes atleast 10 to 15 supplements on a daily basis.
Drugs: Clinical trials are ongoing for drugs like Metformin, Rapamycin, Dasatinib, Quercetin, Navitoclax, Fisetin, Acarbose, etc. for anti ageing. Results are expected to start coming in from 2025 onwards. As of today, FDA does not accept ageing as a disease, and so approving a drug for anti ageing will be a great leap forward! It is expected that FDA will approve some drug before 2030 for anti ageing. And this will open up the flood gates for many more trials and successes for new drugs. Also different drugs or combinations work on different ageing pathways, hence, one success will potentially be followed by many more! In anycase, this has not stopped Age reversal enthusiasts from already initiating self-prescription of these drugs!
Stem cell therapies: Stem cell is the basic cell which becomes any / every type of cell in the human body. Hence, it was believed that stem cells can provide a solution to every kind of medical condition and in principle also make us young again. However this promise of stem cell therapies still remains elusive and we have yet to see FDA approval for any major stem cell therapy application.
Nevertheless, stem cell therapies have become quite popular for different purposes such as for cancers, stroke, injuries, pain, arthritis and patients have experienced mixed results - while some have been almost cured of their maladies, without any after effects, some have lost their lives! Stem cell therapy clinics offering varied stem cell therapies (own stem cells, cord cells, placenta cells, etc.), have mushroomed in places like Mexico, Panama, Antigua, Colombia, and some have achieved a position of prominence due to the successful treatment results enjoyed by their celebrity clients.
A number of clinical trials for stem cell therapies are ongoing and a positive result is expected soon. In sum, stem cell therapies hold a great potential to emerge as the foremost regenerative medicine for age reversal in coming years.
Young plasma transfusions: Blood flows through the entire body and so if we give older folks blood from a young person, it was thought that the old person will enjoy benefits of being young again, as the young blood would reinvigorate all the systems of the body. This was the conclusion of an experiment run on mice and was the origin of using young plasma on older humans. However, this therapy has not yet been approved by FDA and results of vigourous clinical trials on humans are awaited.
Gene editing: We are already seeing the successful application of gene editing techniques like CRISPR Cas 9 in medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, agriculture, etc. and gene editing has also spawned other successful techniques like mRNA editing, etc. A major application for gene edits will be for regenerative medicine - where a gene edit can enable immune evasion, or improve existing cell function and or direct cell fate. Some examples of this - CRISPR Therapeutics is trying to tackle diabetes using this gene editing application, others are exploring CRISPR for stem cell edits to resolve life threatening conditions, or for gene edits in adults to correct potential disease threats, etc. Clinical success is expected in the next 4-7 years.
Organ support through devices / bionics: A plethora of assistive devices are being developed to assist patients having serious health conditions, to lead normal lives. Devices - for the heart - Pacemakers, VAD (Ventricular assist device), heart valves, etc., for orthopaedic use - bionic feet, limbs, etc. other bionics - eye, cochlear implant, for multi organs - ADVOS (Advanced organ support multi device), etc. are already being used extensively and their use is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10% pa helping us lead more active / enhanced lives. However, a long term solution is already under development - organ replacement.
Artificial / xeno / 3D printed Organ replacement: There is a race - to fill the huge gap for organ replacements. It is expected that this gap in organ availability for the medically critical will be closed by 2030 or in around 10 years. Thereafter, organs will be available on demand - like regeneratives. In the future, we can expect to get an organ replacement just as we change a worn out part in a machine! This will be the ultimate regenerative medicine!
As a logical next step, we may get to look at organ enhancements - as in altering our body artificially to enhance / improve physical or mental capabilities or performance. Like running faster than Usain Bolt or climbing Mt Everest without oxygen, etc. But we can get into this once we clear the first steps of regeneration!
To conclude, regenerative medicine for age reversal is very much a reality. While we wait for some of these therapies to get FDA approval and be commercially available, we can start by following the FEEDSSSS routine1:
Fast - as in intermittent fasting
Eat less often and Eat less
Exercise
Diet - eat the right things
Sleep well
Stress - keep it low
Social - remain socially engaged
Supplements - have the ones with proven age reversal benefits
Would love to introduce to you a new Science based elixir - a regenerative supplement, for age reversal and overall health. Hebelyx contains a number of age reversal ingredients combined together in a easy dosage form. Do take advantage of the introductory offer.
Visit www.GrowYoungTech.com and use Code: GrowYoung for a 40% discount.
Godspeed to regeneration and living well!
Akkshay Mehta
(Age Reversal Evangelist)
This blog is my effort to inspire you with the latest developments in the space of healthspan, lifespan and age reversal. In simple English! Do share and Stay tuned.
I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at mehtaakkshay@gmail.com
These have been covered in my previous blogs. Kindly refer to my thread: growyoung@substack.com