Umbilical cord blood could be key to the elixir of youth

Plasma from older people didn’t help

BLOOD from human umbilical cords may be the key ingredient for a ‘fountain of youth’ drug, a study suggests.

Researchers identified a protein, commonly found in the cord, which becomes decreasingly present in our blood as we age.

They believe the discovery of the protein – called TIMP2 – could lead to new treatments for age-associated declines in mental ability, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The US researchers found that injections of human cord blood helped to rejuvenate the cognitive functions of elderly mice, boosting their performance in a series of memory and learning tests.

Previously the team, from Stanford University School of Medicine, had found that an injection of blood plasma from young mice into old mice had passed on various mental benefits.

The researchers believe TIMP2 affects a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is critical for converting experiences into longterm memories.

Senior author Dr Tony Wyss-Coray, a professor of neurology and neurological sciences, said: ‘For largely unknown reasons, the hippocampus is especially vulnerable to normal ageing.

In the study, elderly mice were injected with either blood plasma collected from the umbilical cord of newborn babies, plasma from young adults, plasma from the elderly or a placebo.

Plasma from older people did not help at all, while young adult plasma induced an intermediate effect.

The team believes the key ingredient that makes cord blood so rejuvenating is TIMP2.

Dr Jennifer Wild, a senior research fellow in clinical psychology at Oxford University, said: ‘The results are exciting but I would urge caution when extending the findings to humans ...

‘ The study shows that a human protein can reverse cognitive ageing in mice. This does not mean that the protein can cure dementia or cognitive ageing in humans.’