Testing drugs against aging can start as early as this month

A team of biologists from the New York Medical School. Albert Einstein утверждает, they have developed a drug based метформина, which is able to slow aging in humans. More specifically, the tablet reduces the likelihood of the body of diseases related to old age. June 24 the team has filed an application for approval of the drug for clinical trials in humans to the Office of FDA Food and Drug Administration (Food and Drug Administration, FDA).

Modern gerontologists agree that natural person's death does not occur, "old age", and from any of a large number of diseases that no longer cope decrepit body. Thus, if to push away the time of the disease, the body can longer be active.

The drug metformin used as a hypoglycemic agents patients type 2 diabetes. This is the only diabetes drug that is able to reduce the mortality rate from cardiovascular complications in diabetes. It is included in the list of essential medicines of the World Health Organisation. Its principle of operation is based on improving the body's sensitivity to insulin.

Metformin was first described by American scientists in 1922, and in 1929, other scientists have found its glucose-lowering effect in rabbits, noting that he was the strongest of the бигуанидов (class of hypoglycemic drugs used in diabetes), which they studied. But the drug for many years was forgotten thanks to the discovery of insulin.

About him remembered only after the war. It has been found that it, in contrast to similar drugs have no effect on the cardiovascular system, it is nontoxic, and has a specific antiviral effect. French diabetologist Jean Stern studied in detail the effect of this drug in the 1950s and was the first who tried to use metformin to treat diabetes in humans. He coined the name "Glucophage" ("glucose-eater") and published his results in 1957.

As a remedy, he started for the first time sold in the UK, and then, after the withdrawal of the drug trafficking in other biguanide in the 1970s, began to gain popularity in other places. In Canada, it approved in 1972, in the United States - in 1994 alone. Who is the most commonly prescribed anti-diabetic drug in the world.

Dr. Nir Barzilai , a leading expert in the study and in combination - the director of the Institute for Aging Research, He explained that the life-giving effects of the drug have been observed on the example of the rodents and worms-nematodes. Dr. Barzilai said that his team has the most comprehensive data on the study of the drug, and that there is every reason to believe that it would be beneficial for the state of the human body.


Lecture doctor about aging i>

The application for FDA researchers presented the drug testing program, which they called the TAME (Targeting Ageing with Metformin, fight aging with the help of metformin). The department promised to give its response within a few weeks. The application, in particular, said: "We believe that the delay of aging - it is the only way to significantly delay the onset of age-related diseases, to reduce the time that people spend in their old age in a sick condition, and increase the active life expectancy».

Research within TAME will help pave the way for the study, and other drugs that can affect the body in similar ways. Dr. Barzilai and his team do not expect that metformin will help "cure for aging" - but at least he could be the first such drug. Now the team hopes the FDA will allow to characterize aging as "sipmtom" - and only in this case will be possible medical methods of exposure. If approved, it will set a precedent and would allow other companies to begin to work actively in this direction.

Scientists have found that some drugs are beneficial to the body and reduce the signs of aging. This anti-cancer agent and an antioxidant rezervatrol rapamycin. Also recently discovered a new class of drugs , slowing down the aging process - they turned out to be an antitumor agent directional dasatinib (Sprycel trademark) and quercetin, a substance that helps by swelling, cramps, inflammation, and contained in many fruits, vegetables, leaves and grains.

But, as said Dr. Barzilai, from metformin have a distinct advantage - it is already used for several decades, in connection with which doctors are well studied and its effects on the body, and side effects.

If the study TAME approved, there will be attended by 30 professionals and 15,000 volunteers aged 70 to 80 years in several parts of the United States. The experiment will continue for two years.

Of course, new medical advances, inevitably raise new questions (such as, for example, there was a problem устойчивых antibiotic microorganisms ).

Source: geektimes.ru/post/258962/