Klotho

The Klotho gene was discovered by Dr. Makoto Kuro-o. He named it after the goddess Clotho, Zeus’ daughter, who spins the thread of life. Klotho is a large protein produced primarily in the kidney and brain that acts as a circulating growth factor. Klotho-deficient mice show many signs of human aging including cognitive decline, synaptic loss, abnormal CNS myelin, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and die prematurely. Mice with increased levels of Klotho live 30% longer, are healthier and smarter.

Klogenix co-founder Dr. Carmela Abraham’s team at Boston University School of Medicine was the first to show in 2003 that Klotho levels are lower in the aged brain. Klotho levels are also decreased in the cerebral spinal fluid of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. In contrast, increased levels of Klotho are associated with improved cognition in humans and mice. Dr. Abraham and her team suggested in 2005 that enhancing Klotho expression has the potential to become a novel therapy for age-related and other neurodegenerative diseases. See list of relevant publications by Dr. Carmela Abraham, Dr. Cidi Chen, Dr. Ella Zeldich and other members of the Abraham lab and their collaborators on the "Science" page of this website.

In addition to central nervous system (CNS) research on the benefits of Klotho, which started at the Boston University School of Medicine, several other academic and industry labs have published papers, during more than 20 years, on the potential of Klotho as a therapeutic in acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease (AKI/CKD), certain cancers, diabetes, muscle wasting, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, stroke, and other diseases.

Dr. Carmela Abraham video about Klotho: