Sergey Young, a Forbes Council Member and the founder of the Longevity Vision Fund, recently published in Forbes the article entitled, “Will You Live to 200? Five Levels of Breakthroughs in Longevity Research You Must Know About.” Of the five major levels of biological organization (cell, tissue, organ, organ system, and organism), one of his highlighted breakthroughs included the work of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Eric Lagasse, PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, a secondary appointment in Pitt’s Clinical and Translational Institute, and the Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center at the McGowan Institute. Read Mr. Young’s thoughts on this work here:
Tissue: Regenerate
Numerous cells working together toward one common goal are called tissue. Tissue and organ regeneration company LyGenesis has shown that it can regrow functioning ectopic organs in a patient’s lymph nodes using cellular therapy.
LyGenesis co-founder Dr. Eric Lagasse first demonstrated that allogeneic hepatocytes, injected into lymph nodes of mice with diseased livers, would regenerate and take over normal liver functions. The study was also conducted in larger mammals with equally impressive results: Liver tissue grown in pigs’ lymph nodes could treat genetic liver diseases. Dr. Lagasse and his team believe this method could ultimately help people with various liver diseases, including end-stage liver disease (ESLD) — with clinical trials in humans set to begin later in 2021.
With almost 114,000 people in the United States on the waiting list for an organ transplant, LyGenesis could relieve suffering for many. Instead of one donor organ treating one patient, LyGenesis could allow tissue from one donor organ to treat many patients. The company, whose investors include Juvenescence and my organization, Longevity Vision Fund, also has plans for kidney, pancreas, and thymus regeneration. LyGenesis’ achievements are a crucial step toward whole organ regeneration that could, along with other upcoming technologies, allow us to live to 200 (or at least beyond the commonly accepted maximum of 120 years).
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