Could blocking this one protein extend human life span?

By blocking the action of a single protein, scientists have extended the average life span of the mice in their experiment by around 25%. This recent finding has raised the question of whether such a treatment could ever work for people, and so far, there are some promising early hints that it might.

In the new study, scientists injected middle-aged mice with an antibody that blocks the action of interleukin-11, a protein that spurs inflammation and has been tied to aging processes in human cells.

At the beginning of the experiment, these mice were about 17 months old, which is roughly equivalent to being 55 in human years. The mice received injections every three weeks until they died, while a comparison group of mice was left untreated.

The treated mice lived around 25% longer than their untreated counterparts, the researchers found.

Related: Single molecule reverses signs of aging in muscles and brains, mouse study reveals

The treated rodents also maintained better Health into old age. For instance, they were slimmer and stronger than the untreated mice, and they showed better liver function and metabolism. Furthermore, only 16% of the treated mice developed cancer, compared with 61% of the rodents that didn't receive antibody injections.

These findings suggest that targeting IL-11 could be a promising approach to combating the negative Health impacts of aging, according to the team behind the new study, which was published Wednesday (July 17) in the journal Nature.