Against immunological aging
Researcher of the BFU named after I. Kant presents the "vaccine against old age"
Recently, the scientific journal Expert Review of Vaccines published an article by the chief researcher of the BFU Center for Medical Biotechnology. Professor Viktor Seledtsov and researcher at Innovita Res (Vilnius, Lithuania) Alexey von Delvig (Immune memory limits human longevity: the role of memory CD4+ T cells in age-related immune abnormalities), which offers an original way to prevent autoimmune diseases associated with aging of the body. We are talking about diseases such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
– There are several biological mechanisms in nature that limited human life, one of them, perhaps the most important, is immunological, – says Viktor Seledtsov. – Over time, immune cells – T-lymphocytes – gradually become more and more autoreactive. That is, to put it simply, their protective reactivity towards external pathogens is gradually being replaced by aggression towards their own tissues. And it is these attacks that cause autoimmune diseases, which are usually associated with aging of the body.
According to Viktor Seledtsov, in this case, it is not the logic of survival of an individual organism that works, but the logic of preserving a biological species that needs to be constantly updated in order to be able to adapt effectively to changing conditions. Thus, the mechanism of aging ensures the safety of the human population due to its timely renewal.
Is it possible to somehow reduce the pathological autoreactivity of immune cells?
In the article by Viktor Seledtsov and Alexey von Delvig, it is proposed to use the method of lymphocytic vaccination to prevent the development of autoimmune diseases. This technology is aimed at stimulating the natural immunological mechanism that prevents the development of autoimmune diseases. Previously, lymphocytic vaccination has shown its clinical effectiveness in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
– Another approach in the fight against immunological aging, – continues Professor Seledtsov, – is the creation of an immunological bank for storing immunocompetent cells obtained at a young age. When injected into an aging organism, these cells are able to strengthen immunological anti-infective protection, take control of the activity of "old" autoimmune cells and, thus, prolong a person's life. The most suitable material for injection is a person's own immune cells. In order for such a procedure to be possible, an immunological bank is needed.
– In youth, a person can deposit his immune cells, and then, let's say after 65 years, make an injection of them as a prevention of infectious and autoimmune diseases, – Seledtsov believes.
Such technologies, according to Professor Seledtsov, will not solve all human health problems, will not give him immortality, but will be able to prolong life and improve its quality.
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