--- title: "Scientists Claim New Pig Blood Compound Reverses Biological Age of Rats" description: "A pair of scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking new anti-aging therapeutic made from the blood of young pigs that they claim actually reverses biological age in rats. In a press release, Yuvan Research said its one-of-a-kind new compound, which they're called E5, was made from young pig blood and injected into aging rats. As a […]" date: "2023-11-05" modified: "2023-11-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/young-blood-pigs-rats-age" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "Aging" - "anti-aging" - "rat studies" - "young blood" --- # Scientists Claim New Pig Blood Compound Reverses Biological Age of Rats ![Scientists have unveiled a new anti-aging therapy made from the blood of young pigs that they claim actually reverses biological age in rats. ]() *Two pet rats hugging. \Image: Jessica Florence/Getty Images\* A pair of scientists have unveiled a new anti-aging therapeutic, made from the blood of young pigs, that they claim reverses biological age in rats. In a [press release](), Yuvan Research said its new compound, which it's calling E5, was made from young pig blood and injected into aging rats. As a result, it says the "epigenetic clocks" of said rats were set back by a whopping 67.4 percent average, [according to a new paper in the journal *GeroScience*](). There's reason to be skeptical. After all, there's a long history of for-profit ventures making claims about longevity treatments which that sound like they'd have remarkable implications, then failing to go anywhere. Still, the claims have a whiff of institutional legitimacy. Founded by aging researcher Akshay Sanghavi and University of Maryland geneticist Harold Katcher, Yuvan's incredible findings were aided by former UCLA biogerontologist Steve Horvath, best known for [helping develop the "epigenetic clock"]() that can help determine our biological ages. Using six different versions of Horvath's bespoke aging clocks, the Yuvan team applied their pig blood treatment to various rat tissues and found, per the study, that it "halved the epigenetic ages of blood, heart, and liver tissue," and had a smaller but still significant effect on brain tissues, too. What's more, after injecting the treatment into the rat subjects, the researchers saw "progressive improvement" in the functioning of the aforementioned organs and even saw behavioral and cognitive improvements. "Initially, I could hardly believe the profound epigenetic rejuvenation effects of E5," Horvath said in the Yuvan statement. "However, our findings are robustly supported by parallel rodent studies from different labs." Scientists have for years been studying the potential anti-aging effects of young plasma, though many of those studies — and the [snake oil salesmen]() who [tried to take advantage of the buzzy research]() — have [raised eyebrows]() because, you know, they're pretty bizarre. To be fair, this burgeoning cottage industry — which connotes the [virgin blood-bathing Countess Elizabeth Bathory]() legend of yore and, more recently, the [young blood-obsessed billionaire]() trope — is still pretty fringe. And even if it does hold up, there are basic questions about why. In the press release, Yuvan admits that researchers still [don't really know how or why]() young blood might have anti-aging effects. **More on longevity:** [*That Millionaire With the Bizarre Health Regimen Is Doing Something Strange to His Genitals*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()