‘Fountain of Youth’ Pill Could Restore Aging Immune System. Science Daily.
Thalidomide to the rescue! Huh?
Looks like the drug removed from the world market in the 1960′s for treating nausea during pregnancy, after being linked with children born without limbs, has now found a potentially special nook in preventive medicine.
The team found that extremely low doses of the drug lenalidomide can stimulate the body’s immune-cell protein factories, which decrease production during aging, and rebalance the levels of several key cytokines – immune proteins that either attack viruses and bacteria or cause inflammation that leads to an overall decline in health.
The initial study, which was designed to define the dose range of such a therapy in a group of 13 patients, could lead to a daily pill to boost immunity in the elderly, the researchers said. Data will appear in the January issue of the journal Clinical Immunology.
Thalidomide is currently used to treat multiple myeloma, and some skin conditions from leprosy. It will be interesting to see if the researchers can eventually find safe ways to use it to improve those inflammatory cytokine levels that decrease with aging and other diseases such as cancer. To boost the immune system during critical times could be potentially life-saving. Or it could just help to improve quality of life as people get older.
Just as long as it is never used to treat nausea during pregnancy ever again. Thalidomid.
Even a single dose [1 capsule (regardless of strength)] taken by a pregnant woman during her pregnancy can cause severe birth defects.
Researchers have their work cut out for them.
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