Combination gene therapy is a single treatment for multiple age-related diseases
The health span of humans and animals is directly related to their longevity. Although previous studies have shown that this relationship exists, the therapeutic application of this knowledge is limited. In the past, disease research and treatment have been done individually. This ignores interconnectedness between age-related conditions and requires multiple treatments using unrelated substances. It also increases side effect risk. This study addresses and overcomes this deadlock through the creation of adenoassociated virus-based antiaging genes therapies to treat several age-related conditions simultaneously. By testing AAV cocktail treatments that treat multiple diseases, we demonstrate the modularity and extensibility of combination gene therapies. One treatment containing two AAV gene therapy was effective against all four diseases.
As we age, comorbidity increases and current treatments tend to ignore the interconnectedness between the age-related diseases. This systems-level approach will help increase an individual’s lifespan by reducing the likelihood of them having other diseases. We developed gene therapy based on three longevity-associated genes (fibroblast-growth factor 21 [FGF21], AKlotho and soluble form mouse transforming-growth factor-b receptor-2 [sTGFbR2]), delivered by adenoassociated viruses, and examined their ability to mitigate four age-related diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart failure and renal failure.
Source:
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/10/31/1910073116
