Head to head
Young Plasma Infusion against Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
Buying plasma from young donors against an established medical procedure that removes plasma and replaces it with albumin. The FDA published a consumer warning about clinics selling the first in February 2019; the second has a 347 patient randomised trial in Alzheimer disease that met one of two co-primary endpoints.
Column A
Young Plasma InfusionYoung donor plasma infusion (transfusion of plasma from young adult donors)
Plasma from donors aged 18 to 30 infused into older people. The one randomised trial enrolled 18 patients with Alzheimer disease and was powered for safety, not effect. FDA published a consumer warning about clinics selling it in February 2019.
Column B
Therapeutic Plasma ExchangeTherapeutic plasma exchange (plasmapheresis with albumin or albumin plus immunoglobulin replacement)
An established medical procedure that removes plasma and replaces it with albumin. A 347-patient randomised trial in Alzheimer disease met one of two co-primary endpoints, and two small 2025 randomised trials of ageing biomarkers reached opposite conclusions.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Young Plasma Infusion | Therapeutic Plasma Exchange |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Longevity | Longevity |
| FDA status | Plasma is a licensed blood component with defined clinical indications in coagulation and plasma exchange. Infusion for ageing, memory loss or neurodegeneration is not an approved use. FDA published a consumer warning about clinics selling it on 19 February 2019. | Therapeutic plasma exchange is an established medical procedure performed with cleared apheresis devices and has recognised indications in neurological, haematological and renal disease. It is not approved for ageing, biological age reduction or Alzheimer disease anywhere. |
| Half-life | Not reported | Not reported |
| Molecular weight | Not reported | Not reported |
| Mechanism | Not established in humans. In mice, plasma from young animals carries factors including TIMP2, platelet factor 4, Gpld1 and clusterin that improve hippocampal plasticity, neurogenesis and cognition, while old plasma carries factors including CCL11 and beta-2 microglobulin that impair them. No human study has identified which component of young plasma, if any, does anything, and the PLASMA trial did not attempt to. Plasma is a complex biological mixture containing clotting factors, antibodies and hundreds of proteins, which is a reason the intervention is difficult to interpret even when it is given. | Two competing accounts, neither settled in humans. The dilution account, developed in mice, holds that removing a fraction of old plasma dilutes age-elevated autoregulatory proteins and resets systemic signalling, and that the replacement fluid is secondary; the 2020 mouse work found that saline plus albumin exchange matched the effects of young blood. The replacement account holds that the albumin itself matters, either by binding and carrying away circulating ligands or by restoring binding capacity; this is the rationale for the AMBAR protocol, in which albumin is the replacement product. The 2025 Scientific Reports trial, which removed plasma without replacing it with albumin and saw epigenetic clocks move in the wrong direction, is a data point against dilution alone being sufficient, though a single small crossover trial does not settle it. |
| Human studies cited | 3 | 7 |
| Legal status, US | Licensed blood component; infusion for ageing is an unapproved use | Approved medical procedure; not approved for ageing indications |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Young Plasma Infusion and Therapeutic Plasma Exchange?
Young Plasma Infusion: Plasma from donors aged 18 to 30 infused into older people. The one randomised trial enrolled 18 patients with Alzheimer disease and was powered for safety, not effect. FDA published a consumer warning about clinics selling it in February 2019. Therapeutic Plasma Exchange: An established medical procedure that removes plasma and replaces it with albumin. A 347-patient randomised trial in Alzheimer disease met one of two co-primary endpoints, and two small 2025 randomised trials of ageing biomarkers reached opposite conclusions.
Which has stronger research evidence, Young Plasma Infusion or Therapeutic Plasma Exchange?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 3 of the 6 studies cited on the Young Plasma Infusion profile were human work, against 7 of 7 for Therapeutic Plasma Exchange. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Young Plasma Infusion and Therapeutic Plasma Exchange FDA-approved?
Young Plasma Infusion: Plasma is a licensed blood component with defined clinical indications in coagulation and plasma exchange. Infusion for ageing, memory loss or neurodegeneration is not an approved use. FDA published a consumer warning about clinics selling it on 19 February 2019.. Therapeutic Plasma Exchange: Therapeutic plasma exchange is an established medical procedure performed with cleared apheresis devices and has recognised indications in neurological, haematological and renal disease. It is not approved for ageing, biological age reduction or Alzheimer disease anywhere..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page sets two published records side by side. It is educational, it is not medical advice, and it contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use.