Transfusion of plasma from younger individuals lowered risk biomarkers for cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and Alzheimer’s disease in older persons. Jesse Karmazin, founder of the startup Ambrosia, told the publication New Scientist this before presenting preliminary findings from ongoing clinical trials at the Code Conference 2017 in Los Angeles.
The concept for the trials originated from parabiosis experiments, where linking the circulatory systems of young and old animals improved the physical condition of the latter. Several studies (1, 2, 3) conducted in the lab of Amy Wagers at Harvard University demonstrated a comparable outcome from transfusing plasma (the cell-free liquid part of blood) from younger animals.
Ambrosia commenced open-label, uncontrolled clinical trials in August 2016. Participants aged 35 and above receive 1.5 liters of plasma, sourced from people aged 16 to 25, over two days. Before the transfusion and one month afterward, volunteers undergo testing for over 100 biomarkers related to various age-related changes and ailments. The trials are financed by the participants themselves—the procedure costs $8,000. To date, 70 individuals have received the experimental therapy and analysis results; a total of 600 volunteers are planned to be included in the trials by 2018.
According to Karmazin, the levels of several biomarkers shifted in the patients’ blood following the transfusion. Firstly, their concentration of cancer embryonic antigens (CEA) decreased by an average of 20 percent. These glycoproteins, involved in cell adhesion, are synthesized in the fetal gastrointestinal tract but their production ceases post-birth, leaving them in trace amounts in adult blood. However, their levels rise with certain cancers, inflammatory diseases, and in heavy smokers. The impact of a 20-percent CEA reduction on cancer risk remains unknown.
Secondly, participants showed an average cholesterol level reduction of about 10 percent. This lessens the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease.
And thirdly, the research team observed a 20-percentage point drop in the concentration of amyloid in participants’ blood. This protein accumulates as plaques in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease. Karmazin noted that the condition of one participant—a 55-year-old man with this disease—improved enough that he was permitted to drive again. For an older woman also suffering from Alzheimer’s, the improvement was slower and less pronounced.
Karmazin also mentioned that the effect of the transfusion varies in duration: some participants continue to feel better nine months post-procedure, while others experienced a return to baseline levels within a few months. However, no clear correlation was found between the magnitude and duration of the effect and the age of the participants. Karmazin estimates the optimal frequency for plasma transfusion to be approximately twice yearly. He also believes the rejuvenating and health-boosting effect of young plasma stems from the combined action of its constituents rather than isolated biochemical factors, though he offers no proof for this viewpoint.
Karmazin’s work began attracting a stream of criticism since the trials were first announced. Experts, for instance, deemed it unethical that volunteers pay a substantial sum for participation. Doubts are also raised about the validity of the results, as the trials are not blinded (meaning the subjective factor of researchers and participants is not excluded) and lack placebo control. The placebo effect, in this instance, could play a significant role: first, it is thought to be stronger the higher the procedure’s cost, and second, great expectations are attached to the “young” plasma transfusion methodology from the start.
Karmazin justifies the absence of a control group by stating that people would be unwilling to pay thousands of dollars knowing they might receive an “inert substance.” He also pointed out that the clinical trials had received ethical board review upon registration.
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