#09 Dr. Irina & Michael Conboy | Tissue Rejuvenation Via Plasma Dilution, Neutral Blood Exchange and Parabiosis

My guests in today's episode are Dr. Irina and Michael Conboy of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California Berkeley. 

Their groundbreaking research focuses on tissue rejuvenation via plasma dilution and heterochronic parabiosis, where the Conboys took a young mouse and an older mouse and sutured them together, such that the animals shared blood and environment. The old mice became rejuvenated & younger. They’ve also pioneered a process called the Neutral Blood Exchange or Therapeutic Blood Exchange, through which dilution of old blood plasma can lead to true rejuvenation in the brain & other tissues of mice to a younger state!!   

Further, we touch upon Irina's work showing how decreased Oxytocin levels with age contributes to poor muscle function. Their research is incredibly exciting and we discuss all about it in today’s episode.  

Episode Show Notes: https://livelongerworld.substack.com/p/rejuvenation-via-plasma-dilution

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DR. CONBOY LINKS: Berkeley Lab: https://conboylab.berkeley.edu/  

2021 Paper Plasma Dilution Improves Cognition and attenuates neuroinflammation in old mice: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33191466/  

2020 Paper Rejuvenation of three germ layers tissues by exchanging old blood plasma with saline-albumin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7288913/  

2014 Paper Oxytocin is an age-specific circulating hormone that is necessary for muscle maintenance and regeneration: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms5082  

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TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 Live Longer World Intro 

00:35 Irina & Michael Conboy Intro 

1:08 Aging is slowdown in our repair machinery 

2:55 Naked Mole Rats not extreme model for longevity 

5:37 Heterochronic Parabiosis 

16:00 Young Blood to Old Blood Exchange 

19:19 Rejuvenation via Neutral Blood Exchange (NBE) 

22:56 Old Blood Degenerates Young Mice 

25:29 Rejuvenation Effects on Brain, Liver, Muscle through NBE 

27:16 How long do effects of NBE last? 

30:15 How is NBE working mechanistically? 2 waves of rejuvenation 

33:38 Inhibiting TGF-beta & Increasing Oxytocin is rejuvenative 

38:12 NBE vs. Senolytics 

40:53 Unanswered Questions on NBE 

43:13 Oxytocin & Muscle Functioning; Notch Signaling 

48:12 Chickens & Ravens as Pets!  

Thanks for listening & if you enjoy the episode, please like, subscribe & share! Stay in good health - Aastha.