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A study by UC Berkeley researchers shows that diluting old mice’s blood plasma with a mixture of saline and albumin (without using young blood) can rejuvenate tissues in organs like the brain, liver, and muscles. This approach, which replaces half of the old plasma with basic components, produced similar or better results than pairing with young blood, suggesting that the benefit lies in reducing age-elevated proteins in old blood rather than adding youthful factors from young blood.

Key findings include:

• Plasma exchange acted as a “molecular reset,” lowering harmful proteins linked to aging and allowing beneficial proteins to rebound.
• The method could be applied to humans via therapeutic plasma exchange, an FDA-approved procedure used for autoimmune diseases.

This research shifts the focus from young blood factors to the therapeutic potential of reducing harmful proteins in old blood, with plans for clinical trials to explore its application in age-related human diseases.