Scientists have discovered that parasites associated with leprosy can reprogramme cells to increase the size of a liver in adult animals without causing damage, scarring or tumors.
The findings suggest the possibility of adapting this natural process to renew ageing livers and increase healthspan – the length of time living disease-free – in humans.
Experts say it could also help regrow damaged livers, thereby reducing the need for transplantation, which is currently the only curative option for people with end-stage scarred livers.
[...] Working with the US Department of Health and Human Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the team infected 57 armadillos – a natural host of leprosy bacteria – with the parasite and compared their livers with those of uninfected armadillos and those that were found to be resistant to infection.
They found that the infected animals developed enlarged - yet healthy and unharmed - livers with the same vital components, such as blood vessels, bile ducts and functional units known as lobules, as the uninfected and resistant armadillos.
[...] They also discovered several indicators that the main kinds of liver cells – known as hepatocytes – had reached a "rejuvenated" state in the infected armadilllos.
Livers of the infected armadillos also contained gene expression patterns – the blueprint for building a cell – similar to those in younger animals and human fetal livers.
Genes related to metabolism, growth and cell proliferation were activated and those linked with aging were downregulated, or suppressed.
Journal Reference:
Samuel Hess, Timothy J. Kendall, Maria Pena, et al., In vivo partial reprogramming by bacteria promotes adult liver organ growth without fibrosis and tumorigenesis, Cell Rep Med, 3, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100820 or direct to https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(22)00379-2
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 21, @07:13PM (5 children)
The mammalian liver has evolved to respond to liver destroying processes by growing, leprosy attacks the liver, so...
It's like the guy that infected himself with pinworms to cure his IBS... Doctors hate it when you know and use this one weird trick: helping the body to heal itself.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday December 21, @07:34PM
Dammit, I want my mod points back! +1 Informative.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday December 21, @08:55PM (2 children)
The key is finding something that stimulates growth greater than the damage it does.
But now the real research must begin. Something that's nearly as beneficial as the Leprosy, almost as safe, not too many more side effects that can be patented and sold for tens of thousands of dollars for a course of treatment.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 21, @09:02PM (1 child)
>The key is finding something that stimulates growth greater than the damage it does.
That's like the core principle behind radiotherapy and chemotherapy: kill the diseased tissue, hopefully faster than the healthy tissue, then let the healthy tissue recover. Not much fun for cancer patients, but the statistics say it works, at least for 5 years.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday December 21, @09:16PM
Yes, very similar.
(Score: 2) by aafcac on Thursday December 22, @02:02PM
If I read it correctly, it's not the disease, it's done of the parasites that it leaves people vulnerable to protecting themselves by repairing the liver that are doing this.
If they can be isolated. You probably wouldn't even need to treat the liver in the body as you could probably cut off a large chunk and reattach it later after being fixed.
.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 21, @08:58PM
I can see it now, instead of going "for a round at the local", in a few years you'll be "paying a visit to the local leper's colony".
(Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday December 21, @09:23PM (1 child)
And it's more fun than autoamputation. Just sayin'...
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday December 22, @01:06PM
There are some unpleasant side effects, depending on how stupid you get with it:
- The hangover
- A criminal record
- 18 years of child support
- Death
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Wednesday December 21, @09:49PM (1 child)
Hmmm, humans infected with a disease that reduces their ability to feel pain, now provided with an enhanced ability for their bodies to heal themselves and potentially live indefinitely. Sounds like the great opening to a Zombie film.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 22, @12:15AM