Organ transplants might hold answers to ‘fountain of youth’, scientists say

Organ transplants might hold answers to ‘fountain of youth’, scientists say Older hearts placed into younger recipients showed clear signs of biological rejuvenation - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Scientists analysing transplants have discovered organs rapidly adjust their biological age to match the body of their recipient after surgery. The study, published in Nature, found older hearts placed into younger recipients showed clear signs of biological rejuvenation, while younger hearts transplanted into older bodies aged at an accelerated rate. “This brilliant study is aligned with new science to understand ageing and the effect of blood factors that might hold the answers to the ‘fountain of youth’,” said Dr Bartley Griffith, the surgeon at the University of Maryland who performed the first genetically modified pig heart transplant. Researchers initially tested the theory by grafting hearts into mice across three different age groups. Four to six months after these surgeries, tissue analysis of the mice revealed that DNA methylation – a key chemical marker used to measure cellular ageing – had radically changed to reflect the host body's clock. To test if the same rules applied to humans, lead author Jesse Poganik and his team evaluated biopsy samples from 11 human heart transplants at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The human cases involved significant age gaps between donors and recipients, ranging from eight to 50 years. “The remarkable thing is that we found exactly the same effects that we saw in the mice,” said Dr Poganik. Analysis of electronic medical records one year post-surgery showed that key metrics, including heart rate, muscle thickness, and exercise capacity, tracked closer to the recipient's age than the donor's original age. “Some, but not all, functional measures tracked the prediction that these older hearts in younger individuals functioned as if they were biologically younger, and vice versa,” Dr Poganik explained, adding some physical changes remain irreversible. The researchers confirmed while the heart's internal clock shifted, no biological age changes were triggered in the recipients' other surrounding organs. Medical experts now believe the discovery could revolutionise not only how donor organs are allocated, but the science of ageing, and whether it can be reversed. While cardiac surgeons have previously been more hesitant to transplant older donor hearts into younger patients, these findings could challenge long-held clinical assumptions. “Will there now be a rush to use older donor hearts not just in older recipients but perhaps by targeting young patients who might mitigate the advanced cellular senescence of an older organ?” asked Dr Griffith. “This work has the potential to increase use of older donor hearts and likely all organs for the young waiting on transplant lists. What a ride we are on!” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments