2026-06-18 12:05:05
A pioneering injection designed to rejuvenate ageing immune cells could help protect against diseases including cancer and dementia, scientists claim.
Researchers at University College London have developed an experimental jab that targets white blood cells, the body’s frontline defenders against infection and disease, which naturally become less effective as we grow older.
As the immune system weakens, cancerous cells are more likely to escape detection and harmful proteins linked to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease can accumulate in the brain.
Now UK biotech firm Sentcell believes it has found a way to reverse that decline.
The treatment works by clearing away immune-blocking proteins that build up over time, potentially restoring white blood cells to a more youthful state and helping them function as effectively as they did years earlier.
If successful, it could delay the onset of age-related illnesses and extend the number of years people spend in good health.
Animal studies have already produced striking results.
Tests in rodents extended lifespan by up to five years, an effect researchers say could equate to an additional 40 to 50 years in humans.
The treatment will enter its first human trial later this year, initially involving up to 50 participants living with conditions such as HIV, which is associated with accelerated ageing.
Per The Sun, Dr Alessio Lanna, a UCL scientist and founder of Sentcell, said: “When these white blood cells get older they do not really function very well and you get increased infections and cancers.
“We now understand that if you can keep your immune system fit, the whole organism stays fit.
“Immune ageing has a huge influence on our health but it has been largely overlooked for years.
“If you focus on health and improve someone’s healthspan then a longer lifespan becomes a byproduct of that.
“In animal trials this kind of rejuvenation increased the life of a rodent by four to five years, which is the equivalent to another 40 or 50 years for a person.
“They lived to the equivalent of 120 human years.”
The research builds on two decades of work examining how the immune system changes with age.
Dr Lanna said that if the jab proves effective, it could eventually be offered to younger adults to slow premature ageing, or to older people in an effort to turn back the health clock and help them stay healthier for longer.
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