Like collagen, elastin is essential to the health and longevity of our tissue. Like most of our bodies, it also wears out with age. Degraded elastin can cause all sorts of problems, some more aesthetic and others with serious health implications. Elastin Biosciences hopes it can provide a solution (https://longevity.technology/news/elastin-biosciences-announces-breakthrough-discovery-in-elastin-restoration/).
Elastin is a type of protein generally associated with jawed vertebrates like humans. It’s found in tissue throughout the body, including in the skin, the walls of some blood vessels, the lungs, the bladder and in various ligaments and sections of cartilage. There it provides an “elastic” texture (yes, that’s where it gets the name) that allows the tissue to spring back into shape if it’s stretched, poked or squeezed. That’s a contrast to collagen, which provides a more solid strength and support. You need elastin and collagen together for true tissue integrity.
That can be a problem because there are lots of reasons that elastin degrades over time. It can experience general wear and tear, especially if you’re exposed to UV radiation or various chemicals and pollutants, but also some people just have the wrong genes for keeping their elastin healthy.
Yes, this means your skin can lose its texture and become leathery, wrinkled or saggy, but it’s also bad news for your blood vessels and your lungs. Atherosclerosis, inflammation biomarkers, pulmonary emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and aneurysmal dilation are all conditions associated with aging and more likely if you don’t have plenty of healthy elastin.
Longaevus Technologies was already tackling aging and longevity on multiple fronts, but it decided to launch a spin-off company just focused on these issues, Elastin Biosciences. Now just emerging from stealth mode, Elastin Biosciences has announced an innovative new 3-drug protocol for stopping elastin degradation.
So far, the research, which took place in Oxford, England, has been confined to mice. That means it has a few more rounds of trial and development to pass before it gets anywhere near human beings. Still, its success in those early stages has already attracted millions of dollars in funding, and it’s getting ready to solicit even more.
Lost and degraded elastin is a significant cause of health issues, especially for the elderly. Elastin Biosciences offers hope that one day we’ll be able to counteract this side effect of aging so people can live longer and be healthier.
