Key points from article :
A drug that reverses the effects of ageing could mitigate the severity of COVID-19 infection.
The older you are, the more likely that your COVID-19 infection will be severe.
81% people were aged >70 in around 5,000 COVID-related deaths in Connecticut.
A drug, RTB101, can not only slow ageing but also boost the immune response.
Vaccines are specific and the virus may mutate making them ineffective especially in older adults making such approaches vital.
RTB101 down-regulates mTOR pathway - a biological pathway that controls ageing.
It also up regulates interferon gamma- boosts our immune response to fight infections.
"With this approach, we don't need to know what the pathogen is because we're not targeting it, we're targeting the person' - Dr Kuchel, director of UConn’s Center on Aging.
A large clinical trial will follow a feasibly study, after which FDA approval will be sought.
Research by University of Connecticut.
