Breakthrough therapy against aging by Russian scientist

Alexei Karnaukhov is a senior researcher at the Institute of Cell Biophysics. Although he is 55 years old, he plans to live for another 100 years. He claims his breakthrough in using bone marrow cells has the potential to dramatically reverse the aging process and increase both longevity and the quality of our lives.

^{Alexei Karnaukhov. Source: Personal archive}

Karnaukhov used himself as a guinea pig and underwent complex surgery in mid-October to fulfil his dream. Doctors extracted around 100 millilitres of his bone marrow, which was then frozen and stored in a cryobank. Karnaukhov's cells will be placed back into his body a few years from now.

"I feel good considering my age and the surgery," Karnaukhov told RIR.

Cell rejuvenation 

Karnaukhov believes that elderly people can be implanted with their own bone marrow cells, as long as they are not damaged in any way. 

While bio technology does not yet allow us to return the vigour of our youth, Karnaukhov believes his natural treatment will allow his body to retain the vitality of a 50-year-old man. However, he cautions that it is not safe to artificially rejuvenate your own cells; hence, he claims, his natural procedure is safer and more effective.

"Artificially activated cells have a large number of genomic errors that may play a negative role and kill the patient, for instance, provoking a tumour," Karnaukhov said. "If we follow my procedure and re-introduce young stem cells with a much less number of errors then they can find their place in the body and produce the necessary amount of high-grade cellular material, gradually restoring an elderly man's health."

30% lifespan increase

Medicine of the future: Limitless possibilities

Tests on the procedure began about 10 years ago and, in 2013, the first results showed that the average lifespan of a mouse increased 34 percent.

"The result was very interesting - reproductive life increased," said Karnaukhov. "In human terms, the female mice gave birth at the age of 60. They were more active and looked younger; their fur became shiny and fluffy. We did not create any special conditions for experimental mice. They lived in a typical vivarium and procreated just like the other animals in the control group."

Along with his colleagues from the Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Karnaukhov launched a project in 2015 to study the impact of his technology on the maximum life span of mice. While the experiment continues, it is already clear, he claims, that the increase in the maximum life span will be at least 30 percent. Karnaukhov believes that, because the procedure is harmless, it can be used by anyone.

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