ISRAEL - Scientists Reverse Cell Aging
Prof. Doron Melamed and doctoral student Reem Dowery sought to understand why the elderly population is more susceptible to severe cases of COVID-19 and why the vaccines seem to be less effective and wane faster among this population.
The secret begins with B cells, also known as B lymphocytes. These are the cells that produce antibodies against any pathogen that enters the body. They play a key role in protecting people from viruses and diseases.
B cells do not live long, but they are constantly being replenished by new ones sent from the bone marrow, creating what Melamed calls “homeostasis,” a state in which the total number of B cells in the bone marrow and outside remains constant.
What happens when a new pathogen, such as the coronavirus, comes along? There are no young B cells that can recognize it.
That is one of the reasons why older people are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 and many other diseases.
But this year, they took the discovery another step and figured out a mechanism to override the system.
“We found specific hormonal signals produced by the old B cells, the memory cells, that inhibit the bone marrow from producing new B cells,” Melamed said. “This is a huge discovery. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
It also means that, over time, specific drugs or treatments can be found to inhibit one of the hormones in the signaling pathway and get the bone marrow to produce new B cells.
-www.jpost.com, 30 August 2021
Arno's Commentary
Sounds fantastic. Numbers do not lie. Life expectancy for Israelis was 67 in 1950; today, it’s 82.3 years. What are the reasons? There are a number of them, such as universal healthcare, a healthy Mediterranean diet, and one other reason was mentioned: compulsory military service. Why? Because of the physical conditioning requirements.
While this development sounds promising, we know it will have only limited effects. There is simply no way around Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
