What does a small nematode worm have to do with us? It may seem strange but Caenorhabditis elegans (this is its scientific name) could be the key to uncovering the secrets of aging and perhaps finding ways to live longer.

An international team of researchers has in fact discovered a way to extend its existence by as many as 5 times, as if a human being lived 500 years.

Worms and aging

Much of our understanding of aging comes from C.elegans. This worm, in fact, shares many genes with us and the fact that it has a very short life (4-5 weeks) makes it an ideal model to study the effects that genetics or the environment have on the life span of an organism.

Two of the main cellular mechanisms that govern aging have been identified in C. elegans: the insulin signaling pathway (Iis) and that of the Tor molecule. In fact, it is known that when the insulin signaling pathway is mutated, the worm doubles its life, while when the Tor mechanism is altered, the life span of C.elegans is 30% longer.

Since these mechanisms have been preserved over the course of evolution and are also present in humans, research has focused on the development of molecules that can influence these cellular pathways and allow us to live longer in good health.
I study

But what if there was a double mutation? what the researchers of the MDI Biological Laboratory, of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging of Novato in California and of the University of Nanjing in China have wondered, who to discover it created a mutant worm, in which both Iis and Tor were altered.

The prediction was that C. elegans lived a little longer, something like 130% longer than normal, but what happened was that his life was extended by 5 times.

A crazy synergistic effect, according to enthusiastic researchers. The effect is not one plus one equals two, one plus one equals five, commented Jarod Rollins of the MDI Biological Laboratory. To develop more effective anti-aging treatments, we don't have to look at individual circuits, but at the networks they form.

Although we knew some cellular mechanisms that drive aging, added Hermann Haller of the Mdi Biological Laboratory, we didn't know how they interacted with each other.
By helping characterize these interactions he concluded our team is paving the way for much-needed therapies to increase healthy lifespans for a rapidly aging population.

From Wired