Young blood transfusion: Difference between revisions
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==Commercially== |
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A startup company named Ambrosia has been selling "young blood transfusions" for $8,000 since 2017 under the guise of running a [[clinical trial]], to see if such transfusions lead to changes in the blood of recipients.<ref name=sbm/><ref name=Trends2017/> Although the scientific community has rolled their eyes at the startup, the company has over 600 clients.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haynes|first1=Gavin|title=Ambrosia: the startup harvesting the blood of the young|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2017/aug/21/ambrosia-the-startup-harvesting-the-blood-of-the-young|accessdate=23 May 2018|work=The Guardian|date=21 August 2017|language=en}}</ref> Jeff Bercovici wrote in ''[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]]'' that "life-extension science is a popular obsession" in [[Silicon Valley]] and that [[regenerative medicine]] was a fad which started in the 2000s. Bercovici states that there are rumours of wealthy technology bosses "spending tens of thousands of dollars for the procedures and young-person-blood". Technology entrepreneur [[Peter Thiel]] has an interest in Ambrosia.<ref name="Inc">{{cite news|url=https://www.inc.com/jeff-bercovici/peter-thiel-young-blood.html|title=Peter Thiel Is Very, Very Interested In Young People's Blood|surname=Bercovici|first=Jeff|work=Inc|date=1 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="MIT17">{{cite news|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603242/questionable-young-blood-transfusions-offered-in-us-as-anti-aging-remedy/|title=Questionable "Young Blood" Transfusions Offered in U.S. as Anti-Aging Remedy|publisher=MIT Technology Review |last=Maxmen |first=Amy |date=13 January 2017}}</ref> |
A startup company named Ambrosia has been selling "young blood transfusions" for $8,000 since 2017 under the guise of running a [[clinical trial]], to see if such transfusions lead to changes in the blood of recipients.<ref name=sbm/><ref name=Trends2017/> Although the scientific community has rolled their eyes at the startup, the company has over 600 clients.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haynes|first1=Gavin|title=Ambrosia: the startup harvesting the blood of the young|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2017/aug/21/ambrosia-the-startup-harvesting-the-blood-of-the-young|accessdate=23 May 2018|work=The Guardian|date=21 August 2017|language=en}}</ref> Jeff Bercovici wrote in ''[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]]'' that "life-extension science is a popular obsession" in [[Silicon Valley]] and that [[regenerative medicine]] was a fad which started in the 2000s. Bercovici states that there are rumours of wealthy technology bosses "spending tens of thousands of dollars for the procedures and young-person-blood". Technology entrepreneur [[Peter Thiel]] has an interest in Ambrosia.<ref name="Inc">{{cite news|url=https://www.inc.com/jeff-bercovici/peter-thiel-young-blood.html|title=Peter Thiel Is Very, Very Interested In Young People's Blood|surname=Bercovici|first=Jeff|work=Inc|date=1 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="MIT17">{{cite news|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603242/questionable-young-blood-transfusions-offered-in-us-as-anti-aging-remedy/|title=Questionable "Young Blood" Transfusions Offered in U.S. as Anti-Aging Remedy|publisher=MIT Technology Review |last=Maxmen |first=Amy |date=13 January 2017}}</ref> |
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News media have widely reported such practices using [[hyperbole]], making hugely-exaggerated claims likening the procedure to the [[Fountain of Youth]] and the [[elixir of life]].<ref name="SA17" /><ref name="Med17" /> Others have related it to stories of [[vampire]]s.<ref name="Eco17" /><ref name="CBC18" /> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 03:18, 23 May 2018
 | This article needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (May 2018) |  |
 | This article may present fringe theories, without giving appropriate weight to the mainstream view and explaining the responses to the fringe theories. |
Young blood transfusion refers to the transferal of blood taken from a young person into an older person with the intention of having a medicinal benfit.[1]
Research
Evidence from two large studies in 2017 showed that transfusion of blood from younger donors was either no different from, or led to worse outcomes than, blood from older donors.[1][2] Research on blood transfusion outcomes has been complicated by the lack of careful characterization of the transfusion products that have been used in clinical trials; research had focused on how storage methods and duration might affect blood, but not on the differences among lots of blood themselves.[3]
The evidence suggesting the treatment could be beneficial was based on research that had been done on rodents at Stanford University, in which blood transfused from young mice seemed to invigorate older mice.[2] The company Alkahest was spun out of Stanford based on that work, and as of 2017 it was collaborating with European pharmaceutical company Grifols to create a blood plasma-based experimental biologic drug, which they propose to test in people with Alzheimer's.[4][5]
Commercially
A startup company named Ambrosia has been selling "young blood transfusions" for $8,000 since 2017 under the guise of running a clinical trial, to see if such transfusions lead to changes in the blood of recipients.[1][4] Although the scientific community has rolled their eyes at the startup, the company has over 600 clients.[6] Jeff Bercovici wrote in Inc. that "life-extension science is a popular obsession" in Silicon Valley and that regenerative medicine was a fad which started in the 2000s. Bercovici states that there are rumours of wealthy technology bosses "spending tens of thousands of dollars for the procedures and young-person-blood". Technology entrepreneur Peter Thiel has an interest in Ambrosia.[7][8]
References
- ^ a b c Novella, Steven (3 August 2016). "Parabiosis – The Next Snakeoil". Science-Based Medicine.
- ^ a b Garraud, O (August 2017). "Younger blood from older donors: Admitting ignorance and seeking stronger data and clinical trials?". Transfusion and apheresis science : official journal of the World Apheresis Association : official journal of the European Society for Haemapheresis. 56 (4): 635–636. doi:10.1016/j.transci.2017.07.002. PMID 28780993.
- ^ Ning, S; Heddle, NM; Acker, JP (January 2018). "Exploring donor and product factors and their impact on red cell post-transfusion outcomes". Transfusion medicine reviews. 32 (1): 28–35. doi:10.1016/j.tmrv.2017.07.006. PMID 28988603.
- ^ a b de Magalhães, JP; Stevens, M; Thornton, D (November 2017). "The Business of Anti-Aging Science". Trends in biotechnology. 35 (11): 1062–1073. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.07.004. PMID 28778607.
- ^ Drew, L (27 September 2017). "Neuroscience: The power of plasma". Nature. 549 (7673): S26–S27. doi:10.1038/549S26a. PMID 28953857.
- ^ Haynes, Gavin (21 August 2017). "Ambrosia: the startup harvesting the blood of the young". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ Bercovici, Jeff (1 August 2016). "Peter Thiel Is Very, Very Interested In Young People's Blood". Inc.
- ^ Maxmen, Amy (13 January 2017). "Questionable "Young Blood" Transfusions Offered in U.S. as Anti-Aging Remedy". MIT Technology Review.
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "Eco17" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "SA17" is not used in the content (see the help page).
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "CBC18" is not used in the content (see the help page).