Ne differas in crastinum
Ageless:
The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old
These
4 tech breakthroughs could help people live to 200 years old
Genetic engineering, regenerative
medicine, wearables, and AI combine to form a powerful antidote to aging
BY SERGEY YOUNG
We
live in a unique time when for the first time in human history there is a real
opportunity to extend our lives dramatically. Recent scientific discoveries and
technological breakthroughs that soon will translate into affordable and
accessible life-extending “tools” will let us break the sound barrier of the
current known record of 122 years. I am talking about breakthroughs in genetic
engineering, regenerative medicine, healthcare hardware, and health data.
Very
soon, slowing, reversing, or even ending aging will become a universally
accepted ambition within the healthcare community. Technology is converging to
make this a certainty. Developments in the understanding and manipulation of
our genes and cells, in the development of small-scale health diagnostics, and
in the leveraging of data for everything from drug discovery to precision treatment
of disease are radically changing how we think about healthcare and aging.
When
I speak of the Longevity Revolution, what I really mean is the cumulative
effect of multiple breakthroughs currently underway across several fields of
science and technology. Together, these parallel developments are forming the
beginning of a hockey-stick growth curve that will deliver world-changing
outcomes.
THE GENETIC
ENGINEERING BREAKTHROUGH
Completed
in 2003, the Human Genome Project successfully sequenced the entire human
genome—all 3 billion nucleotide base pairs representing some 25,000 individual
genes. The project, arguably one of the most ambitious scientific undertakings
in history, cost billions of dollars and took 13 years to complete. Today, your
own genome can be sequenced in as little time as a single afternoon, at a
laboratory cost of as little as $200.
The
consequences of this feat are nothing short of revolutionary. Gene sequencing
allows us to predict many hereditary diseases and the probability of getting
cancer. This early benefit of gene sequencing became widely known when Angelina
Jolie famously had a preventative double mastectomy after her personal genome
sequencing indicated a high vulnerability to breast cancer. Genome sequencing
helps scientists and doctors understand and develop treatments for scores of
common and rare diseases. Along with advances in artificial intelligence, it
helps determine medical treatments precisely tailored to the individual
patient.
Longevity
scientists have even identified a number of so-called longevity genes that can
promise long and healthy lives to those who possess them. Scientists now
understand far better than ever before the relationship between genes and
aging. And while our genes do not significantly change from birth to death, our
epigenome—the system of chemical modifications around our genes that determine
how our genes are expressed—does. The date on your birth certificate, it turns
out, is but a single way to determine age. The biological age of your epigenome,
many longevity scientists now believe, is far more important.
Best
of all, however, science is beginning to offer ways to alter both your genome
and epigenome for a healthier, longer life. New technologies like CRISPR-Cas9
and other gene-editing tools are empowering doctors with the extraordinary
ability to actually insert, delete, or alter an individual’s genes. In the not
terribly distant future, we will be able to remove or suppress genes
responsible for diseases and insert or amplify genes responsible for long life
and health.
Gene
editing is just one of the emerging technologies of the genetic revolution:
Gene therapy works by effectively providing cells with genes that produce
necessary proteins in patients whose own genes cannot produce them. This
process is already being applied to a few rare diseases, but it will soon
become a common and incredibly effective medical approach. The FDA expects to
approve 10 to 20 such therapies by the year 2025.
THE
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE BREAKTHROUGH
Another
major transformation driving the Longevity Revolution is the field of regenerative
medicine. During aging, the body’s systems and tissues break down, as does the
body’s ability to repair and replenish itself. For that reason, even those who
live very long and healthy lives ultimately succumb to heart failure, immune
system decline, muscle atrophy, and other degenerative conditions. In order to
achieve our ambition of living to 200, we need a way to restore the body in the
same way we repair a car or refurbish a home.
Several
promising technologies are now pointing the way to doing just that. While it is
still quite early, there are already a few FDA-approved stem cell therapies in
the United States targeting very specific conditions. Stem cells—cells whose
job it is to generate all the cells, tissues, and organs of your body—gradually
lose their ability to create new cells as we age. But new therapies, using
patients’ own stem cells, are working to extend the body’s ability to
regenerate itself. These therapies hold promise for preserving our vision,
cardiac function, joint flexibility, and kidney and liver health; they can also
be used to repair spinal injuries and help treat a range of conditions from
diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease. The FDA has approved 10 stem cell treatments,
with more likely on the way.
It’s
one thing to replenish or restore existing tissues and organs using stem cells,
but how about growing entirely new organs? As futuristic as that sounds, it is
already beginning to happen. Millions of people around the world who are
waiting for a new heart, kidney, lung, pancreas, or liver will soon have their
own replacement organs made to order through 3D bio-printing, internal
bioreactors, or new methods of xenotransplantation, such as using collagen
scaffoldings from pig lungs and hearts that are populated with the recipient’s
own human cells.
Even
if this generation of new biological organs fails, mechanical solutions will
not. Modern bioengineering has successfully restored lost vision and hearing in
humans using computer sensors and electrode arrays that send visual and
auditory information directly to the brain. A prosthetic arm developed at Johns
Hopkins is one of a number of mechanical limbs that not only closely replicate
the strength and dexterity of a real arm but also can be controlled directly by
the wearer’s mind—just by thinking about the desired movement. Today,
mechanical exoskeletons allow paraplegics to run marathons, while artificial
kidneys and mechanical hearts let those with organ failure live on for years
beyond what was ever previously thought possible!
THE HEALTHCARE
HARDWARE BREAKTHROUGH
The
third development underpinning the Longevity Revolution will look more familiar
to most: connected devices. You are perhaps already familiar with common
wearable health-monitoring devices like the Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Ōura Ring.
These devices empower users to quickly obtain data on one’s own health. At the
moment, most of these insights are relatively trivial. But the world of
small-scale health diagnostics is advancing rapidly. Very soon, wearable,
portable, and embeddable devices will radically reduce premature death from
diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease, and in doing so, add years, if
not decades, to global life expectancy.
The
key to this part of the revolution is early diagnosis. Of the nearly 60 million
lives lost around the globe each year, more than 30 million are attributed to
conditions that are reversible if caught early. Most of those are
noncommunicable diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (bronchitis and emphysema). At the moment, once you
have gone for your yearly physical exams, stopped smoking, started eating
healthy, and refrained from having unprotected sex, avoiding life-threatening
disease is a matter that is largely out of your hands. We live in a world of
“reactive medicine.” Most people do not have advanced batteries of diagnostic
tests unless they’re experiencing problems. And for a large percentage of the
world’s population, who live in poor, rural, and remote areas with little to no
access to diagnostic resources, early diagnosis of medical conditions simply
isn’t an option.
But
not for long. Soon, healthcare will move from being reactive to being
proactive. The key to this shift will be low-cost, ubiquitous, connected
devices that constantly monitor your health. While some of these devices will
remain external or wearable, others will be embedded under your skin, swallowed
with your breakfast, or remain swimming through your bloodstream at all times.
They will constantly monitor your heart rate, your respiration, your temperature,
your skin secretions, the contents of your urine and feces, free-floating DNA
in your blood that may indicate cancer or other disease, and even the organic
contents of your breath. These devices will be connected to each other, to apps
that you and your healthcare provider can monitor, and to massive global
databases of health knowledge. Before any type of disease has a chance to take
a foothold within your body, this armory of diagnostic devices will identify
exactly what is going on and provide a precise, custom-made remedy that is
ideal just for you.
As
a result, the chance of your disease being diagnosed early will become
radically unshackled from the limitations of cost, convenience, and medical
knowledge. The condition of your body will be maintained as immaculately as a
five-star hotel, and almost nobody will die prematurely of preventable disease.
THE HEALTH DATA
INTELLIGENCE BREAKTHROUGH
There
is one final seismic shift underpinning the Longevity Revolution, and it’s a
real game-changer. Pouring forth from all of these digital diagnostic devices,
together with conventional medical records and digitized research results, is a
torrent of data so large it is hard for the human mind to even fathom it. This
data will soon become grist for the mill of powerful artificial intelligence
that will radically reshape every aspect of healthcare as we know it.
Take
drug discovery, for instance. In the present day, it takes about 12 years and
$2 billion to develop a new pharmaceutical. Researchers must painstakingly test
various organic and chemical substances, in myriad combinations, to try to
determine the material candidates that have the best chance of executing the
desired medical effect. The drugs must be considered for the widest range of
possible disease presentations, genetic makeup, and diets of targeted patients,
side effects, and drug interactions. There are so many variables that it is
little short of miraculous that our scientists have done so much in the field
of pharmaceutical development on their own. But developing drugs and obtaining
regulatory approval is a long and cash-intensive process. The result is
expensive drugs that largely ignore rarer conditions.
AI
and data change that reality. Computer models now look at massive databases of
patient genes, symptoms, disease species, and millions of eligible compounds to
quickly determine which material candidates have the greatest chance of
success, for which conditions, and according to what dose and administration.
In addition to major investments by Big Pharma, there are currently hundreds of
startups working to implement the use of AI to radically reshape drug
discovery, just as we saw happen in the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines. The
impact that this use of AI and data will have on treating or even eliminating
life-threatening diseases cannot be overstated.
But
that is not the only way that artificial intelligence is set to disrupt
healthcare and help set the Longevity Revolution in motion. It will also form
the foundation of precision medicine—the practice of custom-tailoring health
treatments to the specific, personal characteristics of the individual.
Today,
healthcare largely follows a one-size-fits-all practice. But each of us has a
very unique set of personal characteristics, including our genes, microbiome,
blood type, age, gender, size, and so on. AI will soon be able to access and
analyze enormous aggregations of patient data pulled together from medical
records, personal diagnostic devices, research studies, and other sources to
deliver highly accurate predictions, diagnoses, and treatments, custom-tailored
to the individual. As a result, healthcare will increasingly penetrate remote
areas, becoming accessible to billions of people who today lack adequate access
to medical care.
I
predict that the development of AI in healthcare will change how we live
longer, healthier lives as radically as the introduction of personal computers
and the internet changed how we work, shop, and interact. Artificial
intelligence will eliminate misdiagnosis; detect cancer, blood disease,
diabetes, and other killers as early as possible; radically accelerate
researchers’ understanding of aging and disease; and reestablish doctors as
holistic care providers who actually have time for their patients. In as little
as 10 years’ time, we will look back at the treatment of aging and disease
today as quite naive.
The
Longevity Revolution lives not in the realm of science fiction but in the
reality of academic research laboratories and commercial technology R&D
centers. The idea of aging as a fixed and immutable quality of life that we
have no influence upon is ready to be tossed into the dustbin of history.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90666754/end-of-aging
Can We Stop Aging?
What really happens to our bodies when we age
— and could we find a way to slow it down?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvFAS1JpzPo
How Old Can Humans Get?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-old-can-humans-get
01.19.2023
- Biotech approaches,
clearing senescent cells, and lifestyle approaches can all help to reverse
aging.
- No matter your age, you
can slow and even reverse aging by eating healthy, taking supplements,
exercising, fasting, and implementing other tips from this page.
Slowing
down aging is great, but what about actually reversing aging?
Reversing
aging would mean making an old organism young again. Is it possible?
What
may come as a surprise to many, the answer is yes! In the last few
years, scientists have shown that it’s actually possible to partially reverse
aging: they succeeded in making old organisms younger.
There
are many ways to do this, via cutting-edge biotechnologies, and – to a lesser
extent – via specific lifestyle interventions.
Let’s
start with a few biotech approaches to reverse aging, before we cover lifestyle
interventions.
Epigenetic rejuvenation
The epigenome is
the molecular machinery that determines which genes are switched on or off.
Unfortunately, the older we get, the more the epigenome gets dysregulated.
For
example, cancer promoting genes are switched on (increasing our risk of
cancer), and housekeeping and protective genes are switched off. This
epigenetic dysregulation is one of the causes of aging.
However,
it’s possible to reprogram this dysregulated, old epigenome back to a younger
state.
This
can, for example, be done by upregulating in a cyclical way (not continuously)
four specific Yamanaka factors (R). These
Yamanaka factors are proteins that can change the epigenome in cells. Yamanaka
factors have been previously used to convert differentiated cells, like skin
cells, neurons or muscle cells into stem cells (R),
a ground-breaking discovery for which the Nobel Prize was awarded (R).
The
Yamanaka factors can reprogram differentiated cells (non-stem cells) by
changing the epigenome.
Scientists
discovered that when Yamanaka factors are upregulated only for a short while in
animals, their cells also became younger (a bit more “stem cell-like”), in the
sense that their organs were better able to regenerate, and many other aging
symptoms were undone or drastically reduced (R).
Other
studies discovered that instead of using four Yamanaka factors, also three
Yamanaka factors can be used to reprogram cells (R), and
that even other transcription factors can be used, like Msx1 (R).
This
kind of epigenetic reprogramming approach to aging is called “epigenetic
rejuvenation”.
Epigenetic
rejuvenation has gathered a lot of interest, both from the scientific community
and from investors.
Scientists
like Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, Manuel
Serrano, David
Sinclair, and Alejandro Ocampo are
some of the leaders in the field of epigenetic reprogramming.
Large
companies like Alphabet (Google), which founded the longevity company Calico,
and well-known investors like Jeff Bezos (the founder of Amazon) are pouring
money into epigenetic rejuvenation hoping that one day this process will turn
back the clock in humans.
However,
there are some hurdles to overcome. Too much epigenetic reprogramming can lead
to teratomas for example, which are tumors consisting of tissue growth that has
gone haywire. Using less Yamanaka factors (e.g. two or three) or using them
only for a short amount of time can substantially reduce this risk.
Clearing senescent cells
Another
way to make old animals younger again is by clearing away senescent cells.
The
older we get, the more senescent cells accumulate in our body. These “zombie”
cells refuse to die and secrete many harmful substances that damage the healthy
neighboring cells.
Senescent
cells in the skin contribute to a sagging skin, senescent cells in blood vessel
walls contribute to stiffer blood vessels, senescent cells in the liver, fat
and pancreas impair metabolic function, and so on. Cellular senescence is one
of the reasons
why we age.
In
one experiment, senescent cells were removed in old mice. These old mice looked
younger again: their gray fur with bald spots became shiny and black again, and
the organs and other tissues of these mice could regenerate or function better
compared to when they were old (R).
The
mouse at the top is old, the same mouse at the bottom looks younger after senescent
cell clearance (Picture by Peter De Keyser, Targeted Apoptosis of Senescent
Cells Restores Tissue Homeostasis in Response to Chemotoxicity and Aging, Cell,
2017)
Other
studies show that when senescent cells are destroyed, various aspects of aging can
be improved (R,R,R).
Can we reverse aging in
humans?
Previous studies were done in mice. The approaches we just mentioned are
currently being developed to also be used in humans, but this will take many
years (probably at least 15 years before we will see these technologies being
used in humans).
So,
the ultimate question is, is it possible to partially reverse aging in
humans now?
Some
studies have shown that it could already be possible to reverse aging in
humans. At least when measured by epigenetic
clocks.
Epigenetic
clocks try to measure our real, biological age – so, how old you really are.
One can be 50 years chronologically, but if you eat unhealthy and don’t
exercise a lot, you can be biologically 58 years old. This is what
epigenetic clocks try to measure.
Epigenetic
clocks look at the methylation patterns in our DNA. One way that the epigenome works
is by putting small molecules, called methyl-groups, on the DNA. The more the
DNA is covered with these methyl molecules, the less active the gene is (a gene
is a piece of DNA containing the building instructions for a
protein). Learn more about epigenetic clocks here.
One
study showed that giving growth hormone, metformin and
DHEA reversed the epigenetic clock a little bit, making the participants
younger again. During the year that the study lasted, they reversed aging by
1.5 years (R,R).
Other
studies show that lifestyle interventions, including diet, exercise and
supplements can reverse aging measured by epigenetic clocks.
In
one study, patients were put on a healthy diet, had to take specific
supplements and exercise. After 8 weeks, their epigenetic age was reversed by
almost 2 years (R).
Other studies show that people are epigenetically younger by adhering to a healthy diet, regular exercise, stress reduction, moderate alcohol consumption, and so on (R,R).
Tips to reverse aging
Many studies show that it’s possible to reverse aging in humans through
lifestyle changes and supplements. Below you can find some tips to improve your
biological age (we have much more tips on
this page):
- Take supplements that
improve your epigenome, like alpha-ketoglutarate, glycine, micro-dosed
lithium, vitamin
C (all ingredients in NOVOS
Core), NMN (the ingredient in NOVOS Boost).
Also, take B
vitamins and zinc which support the methylation process.
- Reduce your intake of
animal protein, especially processed red meat such as sausages, salami,
bacon, ham, hot dogs, patés, etc.
- Replace red meat (e.g.
beef, pork, mutton, veal) with white meat (poultry), fatty fish (e.g.
salmon, herring, mackerel), and meat substitutes (based on tofu, pea, or
mushroom protein).
- Consume lots of
vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, seeds. Vegetables should be
the basis of your diet (not potatoes, pasta, rice and bread).
- Reduce your intake of
starchy, empty-calorie foods like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes.
Replace them more with vegetables, legumes, mushrooms or quinoa.
- Avoid sugary foods and
drinks as much as possible, like sodas, fruit juices, candy, cookies,
sweets, cake, pastries, doughnuts, candy bars, chocolates and so on.
- Avoid trans fats, which
can be found in fried foods, fast-food, bakery products (e.g. crackers,
cookies, cakes), and vegetable shortenings.
- Significantly reduce
your intake of omega-6-fat-rich foods, like corn oil, sunflower oil,
safflower oil, margarine, sesame oil, mayonnaise and most salad dressings.
Consume more healthy fats, especially omega-3 fats, by consuming more olives, olive oil, walnuts, avocados, flax seed, chia seed, fatty fish and so on. - Consume foods that have
come straight from nature and processed as little as possible, like foods
your great-grandmother would recognize.
- Consume a daily,
freshly-made smoothie with vegetables and low-glycemic index fruits, like
blueberries.
- Eat specific foods that
can slow down aging: green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale),
blueberries, dark chocolate (containing at least 70% cacao), salmon,
walnuts, pomegranate, etc.
- Don’t drink milk – milk
accelerates aging.
- Don’t drink too much
alcohol: that means maximum one glass per day, ideally with alcohol-free
days.
- Hardly drink any sugary
drinks (such as soda, commercial fruit juices, etc).
- Hydrate a lot. Drink at
least 1.5 of liters per day: that’s 8 glasses per day.
- Drink lots of water.
Drink green tea, white tea, ginger tea or coffee (yes, coffee can reduce
the risk of various aging-related diseases). Add spices (e.g. mint),
citron or NOVOS Core to add taste to your water.
We compiled 60 tips to slow down and even partially reverse aging here.
Reversing aging-related diseases
These and other studies show that aging can be reversed. And not just aging,
but also various aging-related diseases at the same time.
For
example, if people adhere to a very healthy diet, many cases of type 2 diabetes
can be reversed,
and even atherosclerosis.
In
one study, people who adhered to a more healthy diet, and had to exercise could
reduce the atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries of their heart, not
needing a heart operation anymore (which they were recommended to undergo) (R).
And
even despite these impressive results, these study interventions (read: diets)
can be further improved upon.
Even
early stage Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed or substantially slowed-down if
people start to eat and live healthier (R,R).
We compiled various tips to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease here.
In
other words, it’s never too late to start to eat healthy, take supplements,
exercise, fast and implement many other things that can not only slow down
aging, but actually make you a bit younger again!
https://novoslabs.com/reversing-aging-how-to-reverse-aging/
Mark B. Sep 06, 2021
Altos Labs, an upcoming Silicon
Valley company, dedicated to anti-aging research, is supposedly backed by some
of the world's wealthiest.
Among
the backers of the new biological reprogramming tech startup include
Russian-Israeli businessman, physicist, and venture capitalist Yuri Milner and
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Also, according to the MIT Technology Review, the new company is already
recruiting a number of university scientists to step on board, with big
salaries and the promise that they could pursue their respective studies on
aging and its reversal unfettered.
From Private
Meeting to International Company
MIT
Technology Review reports how a group of scientists attended a scientific
conference right on Milner's Los Altos Hills mansion above Palo Alto to discuss
how technology could be leveraged to make people younger.
Currently,
Altos Labs has been incorporated in the U.K. and the U.S. earlier this year,
with plans to establish several institutes such as in the Bay Area, San Diego,
Cambridge, the U.K. and Japan.
So
far, a few names have been attached to the project, including Juan Carlos
Izpisúa Belmonte, a researcher and developmental biologist from the Salk
Institute in La Jolla, California. Izpisúa Belmonte became known in the
scientific community for being a part of a team that successfully implanted
human cells into monkey embryos.
The
study detailed in the Cell journal article "Chimeric Contribution of Human Extended Pluripotent Stem Cells
to Monkey Embryos Ex Vivo" generated results that could supposedly
improve understanding of early human development and improve future attempts at
human chimerism, or mixing human genes with those of animals.
Also
reported to join the Altos Labs team is Steve Horvath, a UCLA professor who
developed a biological 'epigenetic' clock that accurately measures human aging.
Known as the 'Horvath Clock,' this aging model has been described in a series
of studies, including his
single-author work in 2013.
Another
icon in the biological reprogramming field is Shinya Yamanaka, the Japanese
stem cell researcher who won a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
One
of Yamanaka's breakthroughs was that by adding a set of four proteins, the
so-called 'Yamanaka factors,' cells can be 'nstructed' to return to a primitive
state with the properties of stem cells. Izpisúa Belmonte used the same
technology in 2016 on an entire living mouse, achieving signs of age
reversal.
Quest for Youth
The
key technology that Altos Labs aims to leverage is biological reprogramming,
which, according to a 2011 study, is the process of 'instructing
cells' or introducing materials that cause cells to revert to an earlier
developmental stage, effectively reversing their entire aging process.
Other
companies are also looking into biological reprogramming; chief among
them Calico Labs, a
life extension tech company first announced in 2013 by Google co-founder Larry
Page. However, none of them has been reported to receive the same backing as
Altos Labs did.
In
the 2016 study by Izpisúa Belmonte's team, some of the mice exhibited different
rates of biological reprogramming, with some of them developing embryonic
tumors called teratomas, on top of the tissues that became younger.
"Although
there are many hurdles to overcome, there is huge potential," Yamanaka
told MIT Technology Review.
Rapamycin for longevity: opinion article
Abstract
From the dawn of civilization, humanity has dreamed of immortality. So why
didn’t the discovery of the anti-aging properties of mTOR inhibitors change the
world forever? I will discuss several reasons, including fear of the actual and
fictional side effects of rapamycin, everolimus and other clinically-approved
drugs, arguing that no real side effects preclude their use as anti-aging drugs
today. Furthermore, the alternative to the reversible (and avoidable) side
effects of rapamycin/everolimus are the irreversible (and inevitable) effects
of aging: cancer, stroke, infarction, blindness and premature death. I will
also discuss why it is more dangerous not to use anti-aging drugs than to use
them and how rapamycin-based drug combinations have already been implemented
for potential life extension in humans. If you read this article from the very
beginning to its end, you may realize that the time is now…: https://www.aging-us.com/
Keywords: rapamycin, rapalogs, metformin, aging, anti-aging, fasting, lifespan,
health span
Middle-aged tech
centimillionaire Bryan Johnson
and his team of 30 doctors say they have a plan to reboot his body.
By Ashlee Vance
2023.25.01.
Novak Djokovic, age 35,
sometimes hangs out in a pressurized egg to enrich his
blood with oxygen and gives pep talks to glasses of water,
hoping to purify them with positive
thinking before he drinks them. Tom Brady, 45, evangelizes supposedly
age-defying supplements, hydration powders and pliability spheres. LeBron
James, 38, is said to spend $1.5
million a year on his body to keep Father Time at bay. While
most of their contemporaries have retired, all three of these elite athletes
remain marvels of fitness. But in the field of modern health science, they’re
amateurs compared to Bryan Johnson….: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-01-25/anti-aging-techniques-taken-to-extreme-by-bryan-johnson#xj4y7vzkg
Are Scientists
Close to Discovering a Way to Delay Aging?
Erika P. Jul 22, 2020
Nobody
can escape aging. It is associated with the dynamic changes in the
biological, physiological, environmental, psychological behavioral, and social
aspects of a living creature. Some results in declines in function of the sense
and increased susceptibility to disease, frailty or disability.
Many
scientists have already tried to develop products or methods that can delay or
reverse the effects of aging. Recently, Science Times reported that researchers at USC
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences showed how mifepristone could
extend the lives of Drosophila and C. elegans.
Now,
scientists at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) may be one step
closer to delaying the aging process.
Understanding
the Aging Process of Cells
The
team of researchers studied aging in yeast cells. They chose yeast as a
material of study because it can easily be manipulated. Using it, they tried to
understand if different cells age at the same time, and for the same reason.
Their
study yielded intriguing results. They found that although cells with the same
genetic materials and within the same environment can age in "strikingly
distinct ways," said the scientists who published their findings in
the journal Science.
The
scientists used techniques that include microfluids and computer modelling and
learned that about 50% of the yeast cells aged because of a gradual decline in
the cells' nucleolus- a round body situated in the nucleus of a cell.
But
the other half of the yeast cells aged because there is a dysfunction of
mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell.
According
to the scientists, the cells go down one of two paths, either a nuclear or
mitochondrial, early in life. They continue with the route of aging until they
ultimately will decline and die. The scientists performed more tests to know
how the cells behaved.
"To
understand how cells make these decisions, we identified the molecular
processes underlying each aging route and the connections among them, revealing
a molecular circuit that controls cell aging, analogous to electric circuits
that control home appliances," said Nan Hao, senior author of the study
and an associate professor in the division of biological sciences' molecular
biology section of USCD.
Read
Also: Long Life: Here's How to Extend Your Lifespan According to
Science
When
the team was done modeling the "aging landscape," they found that
they could manipulate and optimize the process of aging by computer simulations
to reprogram the master circuit of the cell and modify its DNA.
They
were able to create a "novel aging route" with an extended
lifespan. They believe that it could ultimately lead to the possibility of
delaying the aging of humans.
"This
is an aging path that never existed, but because we understand how it is
regulated, we can basically design or regulate a new aging path," said
Hao.
Their
study raises the possibility of designing gene or chemically-based therapies to
reprogram the human aging process to delay it and possibly extend the human
lifespan.
The
scientists are now planning to test their model in complex cells, organisms and
humans, and to test how combinations of therapeutics and drugs could lead to
further longevity.
In vivo partial reprogramming alters
age-associated molecular changes during physiological aging in mice
Abstract
Partial reprogramming
by expression of reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc) for short
periods of time restores a youthful epigenetic signature to aging cells and
extends the life span of a premature aging mouse model. However, the effects of
longer-term partial reprogramming in physiologically aging wild-type mice are
unknown…: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00183-2
Bill Gifford “Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die
Trying)”: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spring-chicken-bill-gifford/1119921234
Tibetan Secrets of Youth and Vitality:
How to Look and
Feel Younger Using Five Ancient Rites for Stimulating your Energy Centres
by Peter Kelder
Well versed in the Tibetan
Rites of Rejuvenation since the 1930s, Peter Kelder is alive and well, living
in California. He is the author of Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21016130-tibetan-secrets-of-youth-and-vitality
Abstract
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells : a prospective trial
Abstract
Introduction:
Aging is characterized by the progressive loss of physiological capacity. At
the cellular level, two key hallmarks of the aging process include telomere
length (TL) shortening and cellular senescence. Repeated intermittent hyperoxic
exposures, using certain hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) protocols, can induce
regenerative effects which normally occur during hypoxia. The aim of the
current study was to evaluate whether HBOT affects TL and senescent cell
concentrations in a normal, non-pathological, aging adult population.
Methods:
Thirty-five healthy independently living adults, aged 64 and older, were
enrolled to receive 60 daily HBOT exposures. Whole blood samples were collected
at baseline, at the 30th and 60th session, and
1-2 weeks following the last HBOT session. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells
(PBMCs) telomeres length and senescence were assessed.
Results:
Telomeres length of T helper, T cytotoxic, natural killer and B cells increased
significantly by over 20% following HBOT. The most significant change was
noticed in B cells which increased at the 30th session, 60th session
and post HBOT by 25.68%±40.42 (p=0.007), 29.39%±23.39 (p=0.0001) and
37.63%±52.73 (p=0.007), respectively.
There
was a significant decrease in the number of senescent T helpers by
-37.30%±33.04 post-HBOT (P<0.0001). T-cytotoxic senescent cell percentages
decreased significantly by -10.96%±12.59 (p=0.0004) post-HBOT.
In
conclusion, the study indicates that HBOT may induce significant senolytic
effects including significantly increasing telomere length and clearance of
senescent cells in the aging populations.
https://www.aging-us.com/article/202188/text
Nature Aging
23 November 2020
Sestrin is a
key regulator of stem cell function and lifespan in response to dietary amino
acids…: https://www.nature.com/nataging
Reprogramming
to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision
Abstract
Ageing is a degenerative
process that leads to tissue dysfunction and death. A proposed cause of ageing
is the accumulation of epigenetic noise that disrupts gene expression patterns,
leading to decreases in tissue function and regenerative capacity1,2,3.
Changes to DNA methylation patterns over time form the basis of ageing clocks4,
but whether older individuals retain the information needed to
restore these patterns—and, if so, whether this could improve tissue
function—is not known. Over time, the central nervous system (CNS) loses
function and regenerative capacity5,6,7.
Using the eye as a model CNS tissue, here we show that ectopic expression
of Oct4 (also known as Pou5f1), Sox2 and Klf4 genes
(OSK) in mouse retinal ganglion cells restores youthful DNA methylation
patterns and transcriptomes, promotes axon regeneration after injury, and
reverses vision loss in a mouse model of glaucoma and in aged mice. The
beneficial effects of OSK-induced reprogramming in axon regeneration and vision
require the DNA demethylases TET1 and TET2. These data indicate that mammalian
tissues retain a record of youthful epigenetic information—encoded in part by
DNA methylation—that can be accessed to improve tissue function and promote
regeneration in vivo.
A
genome-wide CRISPR-based screen identifies KAT7 as a driver of cellular senescence
Slowing cellular senescence
Whereas cellular senescence
is known to promote aging, many of the mechanisms controlling this process
remain poorly understood. Using human mesenchymal precursor cells (hMPCs)
carrying pathogenic mutations of the premature aging diseases Werner syndrome and
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, the authors conducted a genome-wide
CRISPR-Cas9–based screen to identify genes that could affect cellular
senescence. They identified KAT7, a histone acetyltransferase gene,
as a driver of senescence. Inactivation of Kat7 in mice aging normally and in
prematurely aging progeroid mice extended their life span. Although KAT7
requires further study in other cell types, these experiments highlight the
utility of genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens and shed further light on mechanisms
controlling senescence.
Abstract
Understanding the genetic
and epigenetic bases of cellular senescence is instrumental in developing
interventions to slow aging. We performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9–based screens
using two types of human mesenchymal precursor cells (hMPCs) exhibiting
accelerated senescence. The hMPCs were derived from human embryonic stem cells
carrying the pathogenic mutations that cause the accelerated aging diseases
Werner syndrome and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Genes whose
deficiency alleviated cellular senescence were identified, including KAT7,
a histone acetyltransferase, which ranked as a top hit in both progeroid hMPC
models. Inactivation of KAT7 decreased histone H3 lysine 14 acetylation,
repressed p15INK4b transcription, and alleviated
hMPC senescence. Moreover, lentiviral vectors encoding Cas9/sg-Kat7,
given intravenously, alleviated hepatocyte senescence and liver aging and
extended life span in physiologically aged mice as well as progeroid Zmpste24−/− mice
that exhibit a premature aging phenotype. CRISPR-Cas9–based genetic screening
is a robust method for systematically uncovering senescence genes such as KAT7,
which may represent a therapeutic target for developing aging interventions.
PUBLIC RELEASE: 3-APR-2017
- 1 University
of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, UK
- 2 College
of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
- β-hydroxybutyrate
prevents the vascular cell senescence
- β-hydroxybutyrate
upregulates Oct4 expression via interacting with hnRNP A1
- Oct4-mediated
quiescence is able to attenuate hallmarks of senescence
- Circulating
β-hydroxybutyrate alleviates the senescence of mouse aorta
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TRANSCEND: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever presents a practical, enjoyable program so that readers can live long enough (and remain healthy long enough) to take full advantage of the biotech and nanotech advances that have already begun and will be occurring at an accelerating pace during the years ahead. To help readers remember the nine key components of the program, Ray and Terry have arranged them into a mnemonic: Talk with your doctor Relaxation Assessment Nutrition Supplementation Calorie reduction Exercise New technologies Detoxification This easy-to-follow program will help readers transcend the boundaries of our genetic legacy and live long enough to live forever.
Small molecule cognitive enhancer reverses
age-related memory decline in mice
Abstract
With increased life
expectancy age-associated cognitive decline becomes a growing concern, even in
the absence of recognizable neurodegenerative disease. The integrated stress
response (ISR) is activated during aging and contributes to age-related brain
phenotypes. We demonstrate that treatment with the drug-like small-molecule ISR
inhibitor ISRIB reverses ISR activation in the brain, as indicated by decreased
levels of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and phosphorylated
eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2. Furthermore, ISRIB treatment
reverses spatial memory deficits and ameliorates working memory in old mice. At
the cellular level in the hippocampus, ISR inhibition i) rescues intrinsic
neuronal electrophysiological properties, ii) restores spine density and iii)
reduces immune profiles, specifically interferon and T cell-mediated responses.
Thus, pharmacological interference with the ISR emerges as a promising
intervention strategy for combating age-related cognitive decline in otherwise
healthy individuals.: https://elifesciences.org/articles/62048
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Nan Hao | This time-lapse movie tracks the replicative aging of individual yeast cells throughout their entire life spans.
Nan Hao | periodic switching during aging
algorithm simplicity.We demonstrate three modular building blocks for a DNA robot that
performs cargo sorting at themolecular level. A simple algorithm encoding recognition between
cargos and their destinations allows for a simple robot design: a single-stranded DNA with
one leg and two foot domains for walking, and one arm and one hand domain for picking up and
dropping off cargos.The robot explores a two-dimensional testing ground on the surface of
DNA origami, picks up multiple cargos of two types that are initially at unordered locations, and
delivers them to specified destinations until all molecules are sorted into two distinct piles.
The robot is designed to perform a random walk without any energy supply. Exploiting this
feature, a single robot can repeatedly sort multiple cargos. Localization on DNA origami allows
for distinct cargo-sorting tasks to take place simultaneously in one test tube or for multiple
robots to collectively perform the same task.
- A. J.
Thubagere et al. A cargo-sorting DNA robot. Science, 2017; 357 (6356):
eaan6558 DOI: 10.1126/science.aan6558
- John
H. Reif. DNA robots sort as they walk. Science 15 Sep 2017: Vol. 357,
Issue 6356, pp. 1095-1096. DOI: 10.1126/science.aao5125
- INNOVATION: We
believe tackling aging and increasing healthspan can only succeed with
cutting-edge science and transformative technology and that both are
fueled by intellectual freedom and creativity
- INTEGRITY: We
expect everyone to be honest, ethical and trustworthy
- COURAGE: We aim
high, make tough decisions and take smart risks
- ACCOUNTABILITY: We
value taking personal responsibility and look inward first when things do
not go well
- COLLABORATION: We
understand that working together can expand possibilities and capabilities
- GENEROSITY OF
SPIRIT: We strive to be kind and considerate, respect each other’s
individuality and perspectives and graciously share both ideas and credit
The
technologies that could transform ageing
By
Frank Swain 5th November 2020
Providing
a growing older generation with a dignified and independent life means doing
more with less – and governments and industry are looking to cutting-edge
technology to help.
‘The Longevity Code: Secrets to Living Well for
Longer from the Front Lines of Science’
by Kris Verburgh
We all know that we
age—but do you know exactly how, and why? And do you wonder what you can
do-whatever your age-to slow the process so you can live well, for longer? This
book comprehensively answers these questions. Medical doctor and polymath
scientist Kris Verburgh illuminates the biological mechanisms that make our
bodies susceptible to heart attacks, strokes, dementia, diabetes, and other
aging-related diseases. We learn about the crucial role of poorly functioning
mitochondria, shortened telomeres, proteins and carbohydrates, and more. Having
explained the aging process at work, Dr. Verburgh then provides the tools we
need to slow it down: his scientifically backed Longevity Staircase. This
simple yet innovative step-by-step method offers better health and a longer
life span through nutrition-currently our best defense in the fight against
aging and disease. And with each passing day, advances in biotechnology-once the
stuff of science fiction-are emerging as part of the "longevity
code". Dr. Verburgh discusses how new types of vaccines, mitochondrial
DNA, CRISPR proteins, and stem cells may help us slow and even reverse
aging-now and in the future.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51482371-the-longevity-code
Death,
Physics and Wishful Thinking
Fear of mortality
might underlie physicists’ fondness for the anthropic principle, multiverses,
superdeterminism and other shaky ideas
- By John Horgan on September
27, 2021
publication year: 2010
TRANSCEND: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever presents a practical, enjoyable program so that readers can live long enough (and remain healthy long enough) to take full advantage of the biotech and nanotech advances that have already begun and will be occurring at an accelerating pace during the years ahead. To help readers remember the nine key components of the program, Ray and Terry have arranged them into a mnemonic: Talk with your doctor Relaxation Assessment Nutrition Supplementation Calorie reduction Exercise New technologies Detoxification This easy-to-follow program will help readers transcend the boundaries of our genetic legacy and live long enough to live forever.
Chasing immortality
| The Future is Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5GntKFGjtE
IMMORTALITY: How close
is it?
