Israeli researchers identify immune cells that could slow down aging

Israeli researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev believe they have uncovered elusive immune cells that could potentially slow down aging. Professor Alon Monsonego from Ben-Gurion’s Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics in the Faculty of Health Sciences, revealed that his lab has discovered the T helper blood cells, which are reportedly abundant in “super-centenarians” in high-life-expectancy areas such as Japan. 

“The immune system deteriorates with time, and that process may dictate the pace of aging,” Monsonego said in an interview with The Times of Israel. However, his team also discovered that white blood cells, also known as cytotoxic T helper cells, could identify and neutralize cancerous cells in the body. A previous Japanese study has revealed a high concentration of these critical cells in individuals who live to be over 100 years old. 

“We found these cytotoxic T helper cells can be very effective in reducing the burden of senescent cells, allowing tissues to regenerate and recover,” Monsonego explained. 

“We hope this research will lead to diagnostic tools and then therapy treatments to track and improve healthy aging,” he continued.

Monsonego revealed that the potentially game-changing research started five years ago on mice. 

“About five years ago, we started looking at the differences between the lymphocytes of young and old mice,” he said. “We know that with aging, you get more inflammation and a less capable immune system. We were curious to know why."

The average human life expectancy has increased dramatically in the past 100 years, especially in developed countries with advanced healthcare systems. However, Monsonego revealed that current medical science focuses more on health span rather than only life span. 

“When you say ‘aging,’ people think of their seventies, but it actually starts much earlier,” Monsonego explained. “If you want to preserve health span, you need to start early.” Many age-linked diseases like heart disease, cancer or diabetes often begin among individuals in their 40s. 

“It’s not enough to live to 90 with five different diseases,” he argued. “We need to think about living healthy, not just living long,” he continued.

Monsonego believes that his team’s research could potentially pave the path towards slowing down aging. 

“No one ever did that before,” he stated. “We were pioneers in identifying, in detail, the dynamic changes of cytotoxic T helper cells in aging mice."

“This is when we realized the surprising and significant accumulation of these cells,” he added. “Without these cells, the mice lived shorter lives."

“It surprised me, because I used to think that if you have something that appears late in life, it probably means something goes wrong,” he admitted. While much the research is still in its infancy, Monsonego revealed that the "study suggests that the immune system of healthy older individuals may have properties which we weren’t aware of before.”

He stressed that “extremely good genes” is only part of the story of healthy aging. 

“For most of us, it depends on how we live. Increasing your lifespan means being aware that you need to work hard at it. You need to make sure that you have a good diet and exercise. People need to change their lifestyle early enough, before they develop a chronic disease. Medicine alone can’t do magic,” he concluded. 

Israel has among the most advanced healthcare systems and hospitals in the world. In June, Israeli doctors at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem successfully transplanted the first artificial heart in Israel. 

In March, the Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv ranked as the world’s 8th best hospital on Newsweek’s prominent annual global ranking list.