Scientists find bat protein that can slow aging and even fight Covid, heart disease and arthritis 

A protein from bats could hold the key to slowing human aging and fighting conditions like covid, heart disease and arthritis, a study suggests.

Bats live an average of about 20 years and are unharmed by pathogens that are deadly to humans, such as Ebola and Covid.

This has led scientists to study the animals to see if their resistance to disease could work for humans as well.

Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore discovered a protein responsible for their incredible defenses.

It showed promise in genetically engineered mice and scientists hope it could eventually be used in humans to save millions of lives.

The researchers found an altered version of a protein called ‘bat ASC2’ that stops the inflammatory response in bats and gives them their viral resilience.

The team wrote: ‘Our results demonstrate an important mechanism by which bats limit excessive virus-induced and stress-related inflammation, with implications for their longevity.’

They genetically altered mice to carry the ASC2 protein, which then showed the same anti-inflammatory defense properties as the bats, according to their study published in the journal Cell.

They investigated why bats are so good at warding off viruses.

When they tested the bat ASC2 on human cells, the cells became more resistant to disease, illustrating its “therapeutic potential.”

ASC2 dampens inflammasomes – the part of the immune system responsible for inflammatory responses when the body is infected.

Dr. Linfa Wang, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School, explained The Telegraph that the bat ASC2 could be the secret to longevity and reduced mortality from viruses in humans.

He said: ‘It may not be the only factor, as biology is never as simple as one molecule or one pathway.

“But the overall dampening of inflammation most likely plays a role in bat aging health.”

Dr. Wang explained that the new finding could mean human drugs could be made to mimic ASC2, which could then treat multiple viruses that trigger an inflammatory response in humans.

He said: ‘We have filed patents based on this work and are exploring commercial partnerships for drug discovery.

“We hope to develop a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs for inflammatory diseases in humans.”

In mice, the death rate from a deadly flu virus halved from 100 percent to 50 percent in those with the ASC2 adaptation.

ASC2 additionally inhibited the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus first discovered in Africa, including in the genetically engineered mice.

The protein is carried by humans and bats, but the researchers theorize that it has become stronger in bats because they fly, putting their bodies under enormous physiological stress.

Professor Gilda Tachedjian, Head of Life Sciences at Australia’s Burnet Institute, said more research is needed

Bats may have evolved a way to suppress their inflammatory immune response in order to survive.

The research paper said: ‘Since bats are the only mammals with powered flight, the metabolically costly flight could be one of the main drivers for this adaptation.’

Professor Gilda Tachedjian, Head of Life Sciences at Australia’s Burnet Institute, told The Telegraph that the researchers had proven the concept that bat ASC2 protein can target the part of the immune system responsible for inflammatory responses, and thereby inflammation in cells in a petri dish and in mice.

She added, “While the findings of this study are intriguing, more work is needed to translate these findings into new therapies that can be used in humans to reduce mortality from viruses or extend lifespan.”