Scientists have long studied unusually long-lived animals for clues to aging, but applying those insights has been difficult. Now, researchers report that inserting a single naked mole rat gene into mice extended lifespan and improved health.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have taken a bold step in “exporting” longevity biology from one mammal to another. By moving a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice, they improved the animals’ overall health and modestly extended lifespan, an experimental result that hints at how nature’s most resilient species may reveal new levers for healthier aging.
“Our study provides a proof of principle that unique longevity mechanisms that evolved in long-lived mammalian species can be exported to improve the lifespans of other mammals,” says Vera Gorbunova, the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of biology and medicine at Rochester.
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