The field of anti-aging medicine has exploded in recent years as discoveries about the basic biology of aging are translated into experimental treatments. The latest fountains of youth to bubble out of the lab come in the form of vaccines against age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and dementia. The first of these could be available by the end of the decade. Multipurpose anti-aging vaccines are also in development (see “New Anti-Aging Vaccine Shows Hope for Preventing Diseases, Including Alzheimer's”).
The benefits of such a vaccine are clear: It would be welcome to limit the impact of age-related conditions on people who live into old age and the loved ones who often end up caring for them, and it could also help address the increasingly severe social and economic costs of these diseases.
But like all anti-ageing measures, there are potential downsides. Significantly extending the lifespan of millions of people could lead to a population explosion on an already resource-strained planet. If vaccines simply delay the onset of age-related symptoms, they postpone the costs to people and society. And, as Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan said earlier this year, a long-lived society is prone to a stagnant one.
These are common fears, and the standard answer is that the goal is to extend healthspan: that is, for people to live longer, free from old-age diseases, before suddenly succumbing to death.
At least, that's the idea. The results won't be known until the treatment is deployed on a large scale, at which point it'll be too late to put the genie back in the bottle. But that's not an option anyway. If vaccines or other anti-aging treatments are effective and affordable, they'll be used.
Moreover, no one would argue that innovations like antibiotics, vaccines, and advanced diagnostics were bad ideas, even though they have ushered in an era of age-related diseases. Similarly, life-saving medical advances should not be feared because of unintended consequences; any downsides are a price worth paying if they can make life longer and less painful.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
