Legend has it that in the 16th century, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De León set sail on a perilous journey in search of the mythic fountain of youth. While that legend is considered more of a myth, a new medical startup is claiming to have found its own fountain of youth.
Ambrosia, LLC doesn’t offer water that withholds the secret to eternal life, but for $8,000, it does offer transfusions of blood that comes from young people, which the startup claims has a rejuvenating effect.
Tests conducted on mice have all been promising, showing drastic de-aging effects on all parts of their bodies. Early human tests have already been yielding positive results. Ambrosia’s founder, Jesse Karmazin, toldBoss Magazinethat test patients showed remarkable improvements in their cholesterol, inflammation issues, and in general, are reporting having more energy.
“I think it is all cuckoo land,” said Art Caplan, the director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, during an interview with Boston Public Radio Tuesday. Caplan is not convinced that the results shown in the mice tests demonstrate that young blood transfusions will achieve the desired de-aging effect.
“Whatever the mice are doing, we don’t know if the brains are not aging the same rate as their bodies," he said. "You don’t really want to wind up living a longer life with the same rotten, deprecated, deteriorating brain.”
Caplan warned potential Ambrosia patients about chasing after their promise of youth saying, “I would spend my $8,000 on a gym.”
To listen to the full conversation, click on the audio player above.
