Sounds weird... but new research shows that in both mice and humans the transplanted hearts soon adopt the biological age of the recipient, no matter how young they were to begin with. The finding could be important for transplantation, but it also highlights just how complex aging is.
So young organs does not imply the Fountain of Youth for the recipient. Young hearts got older, and old hearts got younger. The environment of the transplanted organ really dictates how it seems to behave biologically. No matter the age of the donor, a new heart quickly adopts the biological age of the person who received it.
It's not clear why this hapens but some have suggested that it might have something to do with the recipient’s immune system. Perhaps immune cells circulating in the blood might affect markers of aging in the new organ.
So young organs does not imply the Fountain of Youth for the recipient. Young hearts got older, and old hearts got younger. The environment of the transplanted organ really dictates how it seems to behave biologically. No matter the age of the donor, a new heart quickly adopts the biological age of the person who received it.
It's not clear why this hapens but some have suggested that it might have something to do with the recipient’s immune system. Perhaps immune cells circulating in the blood might affect markers of aging in the new organ.