Why Dracula Remains Forever Young

It’s the latest trend in plastic surgery.

Extracting platelet-rich plasma from the patient’s own blood and injecting it back into the face or breasts can stimulate collagen and elastin growth, providing a lift.

While these cosmetic procedures can make people appear younger, opting for a transfusion of young blood instead of their own may offer even more benefits.

Research suggests that young blood could potentially slow down or even reverse the aging process itself.

Overview

Studies from Stanford and Harvard Universities in 2014 revealed promising results.

In one study at Stanford, elderly mice were repeatedly injected with the blood of youthful mice, leading to improved performance in learning and memory tasks. Changes at structural, molecular, and cognitive levels were observed in the brain, including new connections in the hippocampus and increased density in dendritic spines.

Harvard researchers identified a potential 'youth factor' called GDF11, which when injected into older mice, showed functional improvements in various organs, including the brain and muscles.

Neuroscientist Sakura Minami presented further research at a conference in 2016, demonstrating that injecting blood plasma from young humans into middle-aged mice improved physical activity, cognition, and memory. This has prompted clinical trials using young blood on Alzheimer's patients.

Ambrosia LLC, founded by Dr. Jesse Karmazin, is conducting a human trial offering plasma transfusions from young donors to individuals over 35, aiming to test 100 aging biomarkers. However, the trial's design has faced criticism from some researchers.

While the potential benefits of young blood transfusions are intriguing, concerns remain about the ethical implications and safety of such procedures.