Old Hearts Become Biologically Younger When Transplanted Into Younger People
HealthScienceAlert

Old Hearts Become Biologically Younger When Transplanted Into Younger People

A new study found that older hearts transplanted into younger bodies appear to become biologically younger, which could eventually allow older donor hearts to be used more widely.

The heart is, inarguably, one of the most important organs in the body.

The Long Sip
What happened

A Harvard-led study found that transplanted hearts appear to take on the biological age of their new recipient, with older hearts in younger bodies showing signs of rejuvenation.

The detail

The researchers used epigenetic clocks, which measure chemical tags on DNA, to track biological aging in transplanted hearts in both mice and human recipients.

What it means

The study authors say the findings could ultimately save lives by loosening current donor age limits and expanding the pool of available organs, though the research is not yet peer-reviewed.

For you

The researchers say the findings could loosen donor age limits and expand the pool of available hearts for transplant patients, though the study is yet to be peer-reviewed.

Full story at ScienceAlert

What readers are saying

Tai
really cool how the researchers used a technique where the mice kept their own hearts too so they could track the changes across the whole body. it is promising that they saw the same results in human biopsy samples from people up to 50 years older than their donors 🫀
wayne_narrandera
It should be noted that these findings are currently based on a preprint study that has not yet undergone formal peer review.
hildah
Expanding the donor pool could significantly reduce critical organ wait times.
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