Anti-ageing breakthrough: Doctors to invent ‘Benjamin Button’ vaccine that turns back body clock – may prevent dementia

Scientists say the prospect of an anti-ageing vaccine that could stave off age-related mental decline is ‘closer than ever’.

The prospect of a jab capable of combating the ‘internal enemies’ of ageing, including dementia, could easily be dismissed as ‘fantasy’ according to a group of Israeli researchers.

But the team, from the Weizmann Institute of Science, said experts are actually closer to making this a reality than you might think.

Writing in the journal Neuron they said: ‘It is exciting to envision an immune-targeting approach to reduce the threat from our internal enemies that cause our decline with ageing. 

‘We believe that we are closer than ever to making these possibilities a reality.’

They explained that with age, the immune system goes awry, which leads to increased inflammation in the body as well as a rise in what are called ‘zombie’ cells.

These so-called senescent cells are those that have ceased to function as they should but linger in tissues instead of being cleared away. 

The Weizmann scientists said the brain was an organ particularly affected by this ‘immune aging’ — making it vulnerable to damage that leads to dementia-like symptoms. 

Experts, from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said that as people age their immune system ages with them which comes with increased inflammation in the body as well as a rise in what are called ‘zombie’ cells problems which can impede the brain 

They said researchers are seeking to identify a specific type of protein that could be used to trigger an immune response in the brain, called an epitope, which could ‘serve as an anti-ageing vaccination’. 

Researchers also highlighted the possibility of using senolytics, a class of drugs that target zombie cells — which don’t function properly — as another area of promise.

Cognitive impairment, a term that means a person starts having problems with their memory or thinking, can be an early sign of dementia though this is not always the case.

Problems with memory and concentration often become more frequent as we age though this is not always cognitive impairment. 

However, if people exhibit these signs for a few months, charities say it can be a sign of cognitive impairment.

Dementia itself is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive disorders that impact memory, thinking and behaviour.

There are many types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common, though it can also be caused by problems with blood flow to the brain such as after a stroke. 

Dementia is a growing problem in Britain due to an ageing population, with an almost a million people estimated to be living with the condition though this predicted to increase.

The disorder is thought to cost the country some £40billion per year, a combination of health care costs and loss of income from people needing to take time off work to care for relatives.