Studying dogs may reveal path to longer, healthier life for dogs, humans | 60 Minutes
In a Nutshell
The Dog Aging Project studies over 50,000 dogs to uncover aging secrets, revealing shared age-related diseases like dementia with humans—dogs living with other dogs face fewer illnesses, while lack of exercise raises dementia risk sixfold. Rapamycin trials in dogs reduced brain inflammation linked to cognitive decline, mirroring Alzheimer's hallmarks like beta-amyloid plaques, with larger NIH-funded studies underway to test lifespan extension. Biotech firm Loyal develops preventive drugs aiming for one extra healthy year in senior dogs, potentially paving the way for human longevity treatments.
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Everyone knows the old adage about dogs being man's best friend. Dogs might also be one of man's best hopes to treat age-related illnesses because canines develop many of the same diseases humans do, including dementia. Dogs' brains are a lot like ours. Studying how dementia and other diseases naturally progress in dogs may help humans. The Dog Aging Project focuses on unlocking secrets to a longer, healthier life for humans and dogs.
At hundreds of vet clinics and hospitals around the country, including Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, people bring in their dogs. The Dog Aging Project is a collaboration of dog owners, scientists, and veterinarians studying more than 50,000 dogs by collecting data on their diets and exercise, analyzing blood samples, and doing MRIs of dogs' brains.
Matt Kaeberlein, a biologist who spent decades trying to understand and reverse the causes of aging, co-founded the project in 2014.
Where did the idea of the Dog Aging Project come from? I had this light bulb moment which I still remember vividly. I realized, oh my god, we know about three or four or five ways to slow aging in laboratory animals. Some of those are going to work in dogs. You think that's possible? Absolutely. I have no doubt that's possible. The biology of aging is so conserved or shared across the animal kingdom. Much of this works the same way in dogs. Much of it works the same way in people.
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