Aug 10, 2018 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
This low-cost, reusable noninvasive light test could serve as a prototype for detecting other biomarkers and diseases in rural and outlying medical laboratories
A 24-year-old Ugandan computer scientist whose own malaria was missed by traditional clinical laboratory blood tests has developed a device that detects signs of the disease using a beam of light directed onto a patient’s finger. The light highlights and detects changes in the color, shape, and concentration of red bloods cells affected by disease.
Brian Gitta, CEO and co-founder of computer software company thinkIT Limited, became the youngest winner of the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. His eHealth solution is called Matibabu, which means “treatment” in Swahili.
Gitta and his team are developing a low-cost, reusable device that clips onto a patient’s finger and provides malaria test results within 60 seconds through a mobile phone app, UPI.com reported. The latest Matibabu prototype uses a ‘hybrid of magnetic-optic technology and electro-impedance technology’ to detect the disease,” according to a blog post on the thinkIT website.
“Our next step is to determine the validity and reliability of the Matibabu device compared with the gold standard microscopy and RDT by conducting field tests with malaria patients in selected health facilities in order to obtain information that will be used to improve the device, and eventually roll it out to the market,” the blog post states.
The Matibabu malaria detection device (above) uses the principles of light scattering and magnetism to detect changes to red blood cells that signal disease. The low-cost, reusable device from thinkIT Limited has advanced through several prototypes and now has an estimated 80% accuracy rate. (Photo copyright: Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology.)
TechCrunch reported that the current generation of Matibabu is about 80% accurate, with the expectation that further development will increase the device’s accuracy to 90-95%.
While this new diagnostic technology needs further development and clinical studies, it could potentially be used for other biomarkers and diseases besides malaria. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) like this are not yet widely used, so speed-of-diagnosis also is an issue.
Nevertheless, if successful, such a non-invasive test for malaria would be a major breakthrough since, today, the mosquito-borne disease must be confirmed by medical laboratory blood tests using either microscopic diagnosis or antigen detection, which are costly and time consuming.
“It’s a perfect example of how engineering can unlock development—in this case by improving healthcare,” Rebecca Enonchong, Africa Prize judge, noted in a Royal Academy of Engineering statement. “Matibabu is simply a gamechanger.”
Africa Prize judge Rebecca Enonchong (left) presents Ugandan Brian Gitta (right) of Matibabu with the Africa Prize winner’s medal. (Photo/caption copyright: Royal Academy of Engineering.)
Shafik Sekitto, Matibabu Vice President of Business Development, told BBC World News that Gitta’s own battle with malaria was prolonged because the first three blood tests failed to diagnose his disease. “[Gitta] brought up the idea: ‘Why can’t we find a new way of using the skills we have in computer science—of diagnosing a disease without having to prick somebody?’” Sekitto explained.
Malaria Threatens Half the World’s Population
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly half the world’s population is at risk of malaria. According to WHO estimates, in 2015 there were 429,000 deaths worldwide from malaria, with 90% of cases and 92% of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Africa Prize, which includes a $33,400 (124-million Uganda shillings) award, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. Its sponsors aim to encourage engineers from sub-Saharan Africa “to apply their skills to develop scalable solutions to local challenges.” In addition to funding, award recipients also receive business training, mentoring, and access to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s network of high profile and experienced engineers and experts, and their networks.
Gitta expects the award of the Africa Prize will help thinkIT Limited better navigate the difficult process of gaining worldwide regulatory approval for a new diagnostic device.
“It’s such a big achievement for us, because it means that we can better manage production in order to scale clinical trials and prove ourselves to regulators,” he predicted in the Royal Academy of Engineering statement. “The recognition will help us open up partnership opportunities—which is what we need most at the moment.”
Many pathologists and clinical laboratory managers are watching the efforts of various companies to develop medical laboratory tests that can be performed with a device that is coupled to a smartphone and can be performed as a point-of-care test. A substantial proportion of these research efforts are targeting the needs for accurate diagnostic testing in developing countries. That’s because of the need for cheap, fast, and accurate assays that can be performed in the rural areas of these nations.
—Andrea Downing Peck
Related Information:
Ugandan Inventor Wins Africa Prize for Bloodless Malaria Test
Ugandan Innovation Wins the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
Ugandan Wins Africa Prize for Bloodless Malaria Test
Matibabu Uses Light to Diagnose Malaria
Matibabu Wins the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
Jun 8, 2018 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
As standard masks are used they collect exhaled airborne pathogens that remain living in the masks’ fibers, rendering them infectious when handled
Surgical-style facial masks harbor a secret—viruses that could be infectious to the people wearing them. However, masks can become effective virus killers as well. At least that’s what researchers at the University of Alberta (UAlberta) in Edmonton, Canada, have concluded.
If true, such a re-engineered mask could protect clinical laboratory workers from exposure to infectious diseases, such as, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and Swine Influenza.
“Surgical masks were originally designed to protect the wearer from infectious droplets in clinical settings, but it doesn’t help much to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases such as SARS or MERS or influenza,” Hyo-Jick Choi, PhD, Assistant Professor in UAlberta’s Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, noted in a press release.
So, Choi developed a mask that effectively traps and kills airborne viruses.
Clinical Laboratory Technicians at Risk from Deadly Infectious Diseases
The global outbreak of SARS in 2003 is a jarring reminder of how infectious diseases impact clinical laboratories, healthcare workers, and patients. To prevent spreading the disease, Canadian-based physicians visited with patients in hotel rooms to keep the virus from reaching their medical offices, medical laboratory couriers were turned away from many doctors’ offices, and hospitals in Toronto ceased elective surgery and non-urgent services, reported The Dark Report—Dark Daily’s sister publication. (See The Dark Report, “SARS Challenges Met with New Technology,” April 14, 2003.)
UAlberta materials engineering professor Hyo-Jick Choi, PhD, (right) and graduate student Ilaria Rubino (left) examine filters treated with a salt solution that kills viruses. Choi and his research team have devised a way to improve the filters in surgical masks, so they can trap and kill airborne pathogens. Clinical laboratory workers will especially benefit from this protection. (Photo and caption copyright: University of Alberta.)
How Current Masks Spread Disease
How do current masks spread infectious disease? According to UAlberta researchers:
- A cough or a sneeze transmits airborne pathogens such as influenza in aerosolized droplets;
- Virus-laden droplets can be trapped by the mask;
- The virus remains infectious and trapped in the mask; and,
- Risk of spreading the infection persists as the mask is worn and handled.
“Aerosolized pathogens are a leading cause of respiratory infection and transmission. Currently used protective measures pose potential risk of primary and secondary infection and transmission,” the researchers noted in their paper, published in Scientific Reports.
That’s because today’s loose-fitting masks were designed primarily to protect healthcare workers against large respiratory particles and droplets. They were not designed to protect against infectious aerosolized particles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In fact, the CDC informed the public that masks they wore during 2009’s H1N1 influenza virus outbreak provided no assurance of infection protection.
“Face masks help stop droplets from being spread by the person wearing them. They also keep splashes or sprays from reaching the mouth and nose of the person wearing the face mask. They are not designed to protect against breathing in very small particle aerosols that may contain viruses,” a CDC statement noted.
Pass the Salt: A New Mask to Kill Viruses
Choi and his team took on the challenge of transforming the filters found on many common protective masks. They applied a coating of salt that, upon exposure to virus aerosols, recrystallizes and destroys pathogens, Engineering360 reported.
“Here we report the development of a universal, reusable virus deactivation system by functionalization of the main fibrous filtration unit of surgical mask with sodium chloride salt,” the researchers penned in Scientific Reports.
The researchers exposed their altered mask to the influenza virus. It proved effective at higher filtration compared to conventional masks, explained Contagion Live. In addition, viruses that came into contact with the salt-coated fibers had more rapid infectivity loss than untreated masks.
How Does it Work?
Here’s how the masks work, according to the researchers:
- Aerosol droplets carrying the influenza virus contact the treated filter;
- The droplet absorbs salt on the filter;
- The virus is exposed to increasing concentration of salt; and,
- The virus is damaged when salt crystallizes.
“Salt-coated filters proved highly effective in deactivating influenza viruses regardless of [influenza] subtypes,” the researchers wrote in Scientific Reports. “We believe that [a] salt-recrystallization-based virus deactivation system can contribute to global health by providing a more reliable means of preventing transmission and infection of pandemic or epidemic diseases and bioterrorism.”
Other Reports on Dangerous Exposure for Clinical Laboratory Workers
This is not the first time Dark Daily has reported on dangers to clinical laboratory technicians and ways to keep them safe.
In “Health of Pathology Laboratory Technicians at Risk from Common Solvents like Xylene and Toluene,” we reported on a 2011 study that determined medical laboratory technicians who handle common solvents were at greater risk of developing auto-immune connective tissue diseases.
And more recently, in “Europe Implements New Anatomic Pathology Guidelines to Reduce Nurse Exposure to Formaldehyde and Other Toxic Histology Chemicals,” we shared information on new approaches to protect nurses from contacting toxic chemicals, such as formalin, toluene, and xylene.
The UAlberta team may have come up with an inexpensive, simple, and effective way to protect healthcare workers and clinical laboratory technicians. Phlebotomists, laboratory couriers, and medical technologists also could wear the masks as protection from accidental infection and contact with specimens. It will be interesting to follow the progress of this special mask with its salty filter.
—Donna Marie Pocius
Related Information:
Researcher Turns “SARS Mask” into a Virus Killer
Universal Reusable Virus Deactivation System for Respiratory Protection
Understanding Respiratory Protection Options in Healthcare
H1N1 Flu and Masks
Arming Surgical Masks to Kill Viruses
New Surgical Mask Designed to Kill Viruses
SARS Challenges Met with New Technology
Toronto Hospital Labs Cope with SARS Impact
Europe Implements New Anatomic Pathology Guidelines to Reduce Nurse Exposure to Formaldehyde and Other Toxic Histology Chemicals
Health of Laboratory Technicians at Risk from Common Solvents Like Xylene and Toluene
May 23, 2018 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Pathologists around the world will be interested to learn that, for the first time in the UK, prostate cancer has surpassed breast cancer in numbers of deaths annually and nearly 40% of prostate cancer diagnoses occur in stages three and four
Early detection of prostate cancer, and the ability to identify its more aggressive forms, are important goals for every nation’s health system. However, a new study in the United Kingdom (UK) will be of interest to all anatomic pathologists handling prostate biopsies. Researchers determined that late diagnosis of prostate cancer is an issue that should be addressed by healthcare policymakers in the UK.
In 2015, deaths due to prostate cancer surpassed those of breast cancer in the UK. According to data from Cancer Research UK, this trend continued into 2016 with 11,631 deaths from prostate cancer and 11,538 deaths from breast cancer. The trend continued even though breast cancer saw roughly 8,000 more new cases in 2015, according to the same data.
Now, a report from Orchid—a UK male cancer charity—highlights a trend that should interest medical laboratories and histopathology (anatomic pathology in the US) groups that analyze prostate cancer samples. They found that 37% of UK prostate cancer cases involved diagnoses in stages three or four.
Late-Stage Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer: The US and UK Compared
“With prostate cancer due to be the most prevalent cancer in the UK within the next 12 years, we are facing a potential crisis in terms of diagnostics, treatment, and patient care,” stated Rebecca Porta, Chief Executive of Orchid, in a press release. “Urgent action needs to be taken now if we are to be in a position to deliver world class outcomes for prostate cancer patients and their families in the future.”
Orchid Chief Executive Rebecca Porta (far right) and her team are shown above receiving a check from the Industrial Agents Society (AIS) to help fund the charity’s research into male specific cancers, such as prostate cancer. (Photo copyright: AIS.)
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on prostate cancer and mortality rates in the US shows an interesting picture. In 2014, 172,258 men received a prostate cancer diagnosis. However, deaths from prostate cancer were at 28,343.
According to Statista, an international statistics portal, the UK is home to more than 32.3-million males. And, Statista’s data shows the US is home to 159.1-million males. This implies that despite the US having nearly five times the number of males, the number of prostate cancer deaths/year in the UK is significantly higher in relation to population size.
Cancer Research UK notes that despite decreasing by 13% in the last decade, prostate cancer mortality rates are still 21% higher than in the 1970s.
Awareness and Early Detection Key Components in the Fight Against Cancer
A study published in BMC Public Health offers one possible explanation for this disparity.
“When compared to analogous countries in Europe, Canada, and Australia, older adults in the UK have markedly different survival outcomes,” noted lead author of the study Sara Macdonald, PhD, Lecturer in Primary Care at the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
“Poorer outcomes in the UK are at least in part attributable to later stage diagnoses,” she explained. “Older adults should be vigilant about cancer. Yet, this is not reflected in the news media coverage of cancer risk. Taken together, invisibility, inaccuracy, and information overload build a skewed picture that cancer is a disease which affects younger people.”
While treatment options have improved in the past decade, early detection is a key part of successful treatment—especially as prostate cancer has both aggressive and slow variants. Effective timely health screening also is of critical concern.
In the US, however, prolific prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) testing and other screenings for chronic disease—particularly within the elderly population—is under increased scrutiny and criticism, which Dark Daily reported on in April. (See, “Kaiser Health News Labels Routine Clinical Laboratory Testing and Other Screening of Elderly Patients an ‘Epidemic’ in US,” April 11, 2018.)
New Tools to Detect Prostate Cancer
Faster diagnosis and the ability to detect whether a prostate cancer is slow or aggressive could help to shift these numbers around the world.
According to BBC News, the NHS hopes to reduce diagnosis times and make the screening process less invasive by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Hashim Ahmed, PhD, Chairman of Urology, Imperial College London, told BBC News, “Fast access to high-quality prostate MRI allows many men to avoid invasive biopsies as well as allowing precision biopsy in those men requiring it to find high-risk tumors much earlier.”
A team from the University of Dundee is trialing a shear wave elastography imaging (SWEI) process to detect prostate tumors as well. Speaking with The Guardian, team leader and Chair of the School of Medicine at The University of Dundee, Dr. Ghulam Nabi, noted, “We have been able to show a stark difference in results between our technology and existing techniques such as MRI. The technique has picked up cancers which MRI did not reveal. We can now see with much greater accuracy what tissue is cancerous, where it is, and what level of treatment it needs. This is a significant step forward.”
Should these tools prove successful, they might help to reverse current trends in the UK and offer greater insight and options for the histopathology groups there, as well as the medical laboratories, oncologists, and other medical specialists helping to treat cancer.
Until then, raising awareness and streamlining both detection and treatment protocols will remain a critical concern, not just in the UK, but around the world as the human population continues to age.
—Jon Stone
Related Information:
Prostate Cancer: Four in 10 Cases Diagnosed Late, Charity Says
New Report Reveals 4 in 10 Prostate Cancer Cases Are Diagnosed Late and an Impending Crisis in Prostate Cancer Provision
Prostate Cancer Deaths Overtake Those from Breast Cancer
Cutting Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Times
Prostate Cancer on the Rise; Time to Revisit Guidelines?
More High-Risk Prostate Cancer Now in the US than Before
Prostate Cancer Breakthrough as UK Team Develops More Accurate Test
Mass Media and Risk Factors for Cancer: The Under-Representation of Age
Kaiser Health News Labels Routine Clinical Laboratory Testing and Other Screening of Elderly Patients an ‘Epidemic’ in US
Genetic Fingerprint Helps Researchers Identify Aggressive Prostate Cancer from Non-aggressive Types and Determine If Treatment Will Be Effective
Apr 20, 2018 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Though ACA reforms may have slowed healthcare spending, rapidly increasing deductibles and cost sharing requirements have many experts questioning if patients can afford care at all, despite the increased availability of insurance coverage
Much of the debate surrounding efforts to replace and repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has centered on premiums as a central facet of out-of-pocket spending. However, new data from a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey reveals that premiums are only one factor affecting consumers’ ability to pay healthcare bills. High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) are another culprit. This directly impacts clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups that find revenues down as more American’s avoid costs by delaying or opting out of testing and treatments.
The KFF report highlights both the complexity of managing healthcare costs and how the current focus on premium prices might miss other important considerations that make healthcare inaccessible to many Americans.
High Deductibles and Consumers’ Lack of Savings
An increasing number of insurance plans now include high deductibles—particularly in the individual markets, though employer-based insurance plans are experiencing steady increases as well.
This leaves consumers facing larger bills and making tough decisions about whether their healthcare is affordable—even with insurance.
When healthcare consumers cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs of healthcare, they are less likely to schedule wellness visits, adhere to treatments, or follow through on physician-ordered clinical laboratory tests they don’t consider essential to their well-being or simply cannot afford.
Even when they follow protocols and recommendations, that does not mean patients will be able to pay medical laboratories for tests performed, or anatomic pathology groups for specialized services, when the bill comes due.
The Ever-Growing Deductible Dilemma
In its 2017 study, “Do Health Plan Enrollees have Enough Money to Pay Cost Sharing?,” the KFF compares median data on liquid assets from 6,254 single and multi-person households—spanning a range of incomes and age brackets—to the average cost of both standard employer-based insurance and individual market insurance deductibles.
They further note that their data modeling and estimates present a “conservative estimate,” because chronic conditions might cause an extended period of out-of-pocket spending, and that median assets might not be available at a single time or throughout the year.
Concerning a previous 2016 KFF study on high-deductible insurance plans, the authors noted in a press release, “In 2016, 83% of covered workers face a deductible for single coverage, which averages $1,478. That’s up $159 or 12% from 2015, and $486 or 49% since 2011. The average deductible for workers who face one is higher for workers in small firms (three to 199 employers) than in large firms ($2,069 vs. $1,238).”
In the press release following KFF’s 2016 survey, Drew Altman, CEO (above), Kaiser Family Foundation, noted, “We’re seeing premiums rising at historically slow rates, which helps workers and employers alike, but it’s made possible in part by the more rapid rise in the deductibles workers must pay.” (Image copyright: Kaiser Family Foundation.)
In their latest look at deductibles and out-of-pocket spending, the KFF study authors note, “About half (53%) of single-person non-elderly households could pay the $2,000 from their liquid assets towards cost sharing, and only 37% could pay $6,000, which … was less than the maximum out-of-pocket limit for single coverage in 2016. For multi-person families, 47% could pay $4,000 from their liquid assets for cost sharing, while only 35% could pay $12,000.”
This sets the stage for the grim picture now facing many Americans. Despite increased access to medical insurance, being able to use the insurance to obtain care can be a struggle for a sizeable part of the lower to middle class population.
Creating a More Affordable Future for Healthcare
Data from the Q1 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that growth in high-deductible plans might skew these numbers further still. They found that the number of persons under the age of 65 enrolled in HDHPs increased from 25.3% in 2010 to 40.0% in the first quarter of 2016 despite uninsured rates dropping from 22.3% to 11.9% over the same period.
In the 2017 study, KFF outlines the complexity of the issue: “There are significant differences across the income spectrum … For example, 63% of multi-person households with incomes of 400% of poverty or more could pay $12,000 from liquid assets for cost sharing, compared with only 18% of households with incomes between 150% and 400% of poverty, and 4% of households with incomes below 150% of poverty.”
While there are no simple answers to address today’s increasing deductibles, KFF emphasizes the importance of looking at the bigger picture.
“Much of the discussion around affordability has centered on premium costs. A broader notion of affordability will have to focus on the ability of families,” they note. “To adequately address the issue of affordability of health insurance, reform proposals should be evaluated on the affordability of out-of-pocket costs, especially for low and moderate-income families, and be sensitive to the financial impacts that high cost sharing will have on financial wellbeing.”
In the meantime, lack of access to preventative care and regular checkups can increase long-term healthcare costs and health risks, creating a spiral of financial concerns for patients as well as the healthcare professionals and the clinical laboratories serving them.
—Jon Stone
Related Information:
The Biggest Health Issue We Aren’t Debating
Do Health Plan Enrollees Have Enough Money to Pay Cost Sharing?
Average Annual Workplace Family Health Premiums Rise Modest 3% to $18,142 in 2016; More Workers Enroll in High-Deductible Plans with Savings Option Over Past Two Years
Americans Are Facing Rising Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs—Here’s Why
Americans’ Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs Are Skyrocketing
Americans Are Shouldering More and More of Their Healthcare Costs
Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs Seen Rising to Half of Senior Income
Consumer Reaction to High-Deductible Health Plans and Rising Out-of-Pocket Costs Continues to Impact Physicians and Clinical Laboratories
Because of Sizeable Deductibles, More Patients Owe More Money to Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Spurring Labs to Get Smarter about Collecting from Patients
Growth in High Deductible Health Plans Cause Savvy Clinical Labs and Pathology Groups to Collect Full Payment at Time of Service
Oct 27, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Is gut microbiota the fabled fountain of youth? Researchers at Valenzano Research Lab in Germany found it works for killifish. Could it work for other vertebrates as well?
Research into the microbiomes of humans and other animals is uncovering tantalizing insights as to how different microbes can be beneficial or destructive to the host. It is reasonable to expect ongoing research will eventually give microbiologists and clinical laboratories useful new medical laboratory tests that assess an individual’s microbiome for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Human microbiota (AKA, microbiome) have been identified as having a key role in several different health conditions. In previous ebriefings, Dark Daily reported on several breakthroughs involving the microbiome that bring the promise of precision medicine ever closer. Research and clinical studies are contributing to more accurate diagnoses, identification of best drugs for specific patients, and, enhanced information for physician decision-making, to name just a few benefits.
Now, researchers at Valenzano Research Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging in Cologne, Germany, are looking into whether gut microbiota could potentially increase life spans in all vertebrates, a group of species that includes humans.
Valenzano Lab published its study online in August. The team of scientists and researchers led by Dario Valenzano, PhD, focused on the longevity of the turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), a tiny fish native to the African countries of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They found that when older killifish ate the fecal matter of younger killifish they lived longer. The fecal matter carried the microbiota to the older fish and extended their lifespans.
Moving Microbiome from One Gut to Another
To perform the research, Valenzano and his team first treated killifish that were nine and a half weeks old (considered middle-aged) with antibiotics to cleanse their gut flora. The fish were then placed in a sterile aquarium containing the gut contents of young adult killifish that were just six weeks old. Although killifish won’t typically eat feces, they would nip at the gut contents in the water and swallow some of the microbes from the younger fish in the process. The researchers discovered that the transplanted microbes were able to successfully colonize the stomachs of the older fish.
Dario Valenzano, PhD (above), gazes at an older Killifish, the subject in his research into increased aging at the Valenzano Research Lab in Cologne, Germany. Studies of the microbiomes of different species is expected to eventually give microbiologists new and useful clinical laboratory tests. (Photo copyright: Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging.)
When the middle-aged killifish reached the age of 16 weeks—considered elderly—their gut microbiomes were still similar to that of a six-week-old fish. The process had a noticeable effect on the lifespan of the killifish that received the microbiome transplants from the young fish. They lived 41% longer than killifish that received microbes from middle-aged fish and their longevity increased by 37% over fish that were not exposed to any treatment at all. In addition, at 16 weeks, the killifish who had received the transplants were much more active than fish of the same age who had not received the transplants.
“These results suggest that controlling the composition of the gut microbes can improve health and increase life span,” the study paper noted. “The model system used in this study could provide new ways to manipulate the gut microbial community and gain key insights into how the gut microbes affect aging. Manipulating gut microbes to resemble a community found in young individuals could be a strategy to delay the onset of age-related diseases.”
Transferring Fecal Microbiota to Save/Extend Human Lives
Previous research has indicated there may be a connection between microbiomes and aging in some animals, and that the diversity of gut microbes decreases with age. This study proved that this same pattern is true in turquoise killifish.
However, Valenzano does not know how the microbes are affecting the lifespans of the older killifish. “It is possible that an aging immune system is less effective at protecting the micro-organisms in the intestines, with the result that there is a higher prevalence of pathogens in older guts. The gut microbiota in a young organism could help to counter this and therefore support the immune system and prevent inflammation. This could lead to longer life expectancy and better health,” he stated in a press release.
“You can really tell whether a fish is young or old based on its gut microbiota,” Valenzano told Nature. He noted, however, that it is too early to determine if fecal transplants can be used in humans to extend life. “I wouldn’t go that far. This is really early evidence that this has a potential positive effect.”
There is, however, a similar procedure used in humans called Fecal Microbiota Transplant or FMT that has demonstrated promising results in treating certain illnesses.
In a fecal transplant, fecal matter is collected from an approved donor, treated, and placed in a patient during a colonoscopy, endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or enema. The purpose of the transplant is to replace good bacteria in a colon that has undergone an event that caused the colon to be inundated with bad bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile, resulting in C. diff. infection, a life-threatening illness that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), kills tens of thousands of people each year.
“The challenge with all of these experiments is going to be to dissect the mechanism. I expect it will be very complex,” stated Heinrich Jasper, PhD, in the Nature article. Jasper is a professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. His lab is working on similar research with microbiome transplants in fruit flies. He predicts this type of longevity research will be performed on other animals in the future.
Valenzano’s and Jasper’s research may eventually create new diagnostic tools for microbiologists to assess the microbiome of individual patients. This technology may also enable microbiologists to advise pathologists and clinical laboratories regarding what specific microbes may be harmful and what microbes may be therapeutically beneficial to patients.
—JP Schlingman
Related Information:
‘Young Poo’ Makes Aged Fish Live Longer
Gut Bacteria Affect Aging
Killifish Project Sheds Light on the Genetic Basis for Aging
National Project to Harness Microbes for Health, Environment
Effort to Map Human Microbiome Will Generate Useful New Clinical Lab Tests for Pathologists
Mayo Clinic and Whole Biome Announce Collaboration to Research the Role of the Human Microbiome in Women’s Diseases Using Unique Medical Laboratory Tests
Expanding Knowledge about the Human Microbiome Will Lead to New Clinical Pathology Laboratory Tests
