
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.”