Boosting the body’s “disposal system” can stave off age-related organ damage and increase lifespan by 10 percent in mice.

As we age, our body’s tissues start to accumulate damage. When we’re young, our in-built disposal systems seem to take care of this, breaking down DNA and whole cells that no longer serve their purpose. But as we age, this system – known as autophagy – appears to slow down.

To find out if boosting the disposal system could slow ageing, Beth Levine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas and her colleagues turned to mice with a genetic mutation that increases autophagy in the heart, liver, muscle and brain. They found that mice with this mutation live three months longer. “It might not sound like a lot, but in the mice it’s a 10 per cent increase,” says Levine.

Hunt for a drug

When the team analysed the animals’ organs, they found fewer signs of ageing. The hearts and livers of the mutant mice showed less scarring, and these mice developed fewer cases of age-related cancers. Previous research has found that mice with the same mutation also seem to be protected against Alzheimer’s-like disease, and have better memory.

Levine thinks a similar process might be happening when animals undergo starvation or exercise – both of which seem to increase lifespan, at least in some animal studies.

The team hope that it will be possible to develop a drug that safely boosts autophagy in humans. Levine says they have some preliminary compounds that might be suitable for this. The first trials of such compounds would likely include people who have a very high genetic risk of developing an age-related disorder like Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, or liver diseases, says Levine.