Young Blood for Anti-Aging?

The subject of this story caught me off guard, having not contemplated it.  Stat ran the story, How a society gala was used to sell young-blood transfusions to baby boomers desperate to cheat death.

The story focuses on a luncheon event in south Florida where audience members were pitched on “[p]aying to participate in a soon-to-launch clinical trial testing transfusions of young blood [which] “offers the greatest potential for everyone in this room to add a lot of healthy years to their life… ‘Not only do you get to potentially live longer … but you’re going to be healthier. And some of the chronic problems you have now may disappear.’”  Stat had a number of medical experts review the materials for the clinical trial “and all sharply criticized the study’s marketing, design, and scientific rationale.”  Although the final price has yet to be determined, one suggested cost for the treatment was over a quarter of a million dollars.

The article discusses what is involved in clinical trials, other trials with similar goals and general reactions to the proposal.  It is a fascinating article.  It can be used as a jumping off point for a discussion about ageism.