As global populations continue to age, the pursuit of effective anti-ageing treatments has never been more urgent.
Recent findings from Duke-NUS Medical School have highlighted a significant breakthrough in this field, identifying interleukin-11 (IL11) as a key driver of ageing. This discovery opens up promising avenues for developing therapies that could potentially extend healthy lifespans, anti-ageing solutions, and enhance the quality of life for millions.
Understanding the Role of IL11 in Aging
Ageing is characterised by a gradual decline in physiological functions, often marked by increased fat accumulation and muscle loss. The team at Duke-NUS discovered that IL11 promotes these hallmark conditions of ageing. Preclinical studies revealed that as organisms age, IL11 levels rise, leading to fat buildup in the liver and abdomen and a reduction in muscle mass and strength.
Assistant Professor Anissa Widjaja from Duke-NUS’s Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Programme explains, “This project started back in 2017 when a collaborator of ours sent us some tissue samples for another project. Out of curiosity, I ran some experiments to check for IL11 levels. From the readings, we could clearly see that the levels of IL11 increased with age, and that’s when we got really excited!”
Anti-IL11 Therapy: A New Frontier
The study’s most compelling finding is the potential of anti-IL11 therapy to counteract ageing effects.
By inhibiting IL11, researchers observed improvements in metabolism, muscle function, and overall health, alongside a notable increase in lifespan by up to 25 percent in preclinical models. Unlike other anti-ageing drugs that target specific pathways, anti-IL11 therapy offers broad-spectrum protection against multiple age-related conditions.
Professor Stuart Cook, the senior author of the study, emphasises the therapy’s potential: “Our aim is that one day, anti-IL11 therapy will be used as widely as possible so that people the world over can lead healthier lives for longer. However, this is not easy, as approval pathways for drugs to treat ageing are not well-defined, and raising funds to do clinical trials in this area is very challenging.”
Current Solutions In The Market
To gain a deeper understanding of current anti-ageing treatments, we spoke with an individual who wants to be identified as Miss Chew, who recently underwent injectable treatments at Evoque.
Chew shared that she received dermal fillers for face lifting and contouring.
She mentioned that her doctor, Dr. Sanjay Ganhasan, informed her about the possibility of bruising and swelling post-procedure, which typically resolves within a few days if it occurs.
Chew described the procedure as generally painless, thanks to the numbing gel applied before the treatment. The process involved injections at five points on each side of her face, with only mild discomfort at certain points, such as the cheek and chin.
She expressed satisfaction with the immediate results, noting a visible difference in her face right after the treatment. When combined with High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, the face-lifting effect was even more pronounced, making her look five years younger. Chew is enthusiastic about recommending this procedure to others seeking anti-aging solutions, highlighting its immediate and long-lasting effects.
For those considering aesthetic treatments, she advises opting for procedures like dermal fillers for their rapid and durable results.
However, these types of cosmetic procedures only target visible, external signs of ageing and do not address the underlying biological processes that promote ageing throughout the body at a cellular level. The research on anti-IL11 therapy presents an exciting new avenue for developing anti-aging treatments that could potentially extend healthy lifespans by slowing or reversing aging at its source.
Conclusion
The advancements in anti-ageing research, particularly the discovery of IL11’s role, represent a significant milestone. With continued research and clinical testing, therapies targeting IL11 could revolutionise how we approach ageing, enabling longer, healthier lives. As we navigate these developments, it remains crucial to stay informed and critically assess new treatments, ensuring they are safe, effective, and accessible to those who need them most.
