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Use of telomerase reverse transcriptase for treatment or prevention of an age-related disorder
EP2402038B1
The CNIO has developed a method for the amelioration of certain markers of ageing in mammals and the extension of lifespan in adult mammals. The inventors have found that the use of a non-integrative nucleic acid vector, such as those derived from adeno-associated viruses (AAV), comprising a coding sequence for telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is useful in the treatment or prevention of age-related disorders in an adult, wherein the treatment does not increase the incidence of cancer in the subject.
The invention is based on the surprising finding that telomerase-based therapies can be used to improve healthy ageing and extend longevity in an adult/old mammalian organism without increasing the risk of cancer. The extension of lifespan is accompanied by an amelioration of some markers of healthspan that are conventionally considered markers of ageing, such as epithelial barrier fitness, osteoporosis, glucose intolerance with insulin insensitivity, loss of memory, and neuromuscular degeneration associated with loss of neuromuscular coordination.