Longevity News

The World is Growing Younger, Right?

posted on October 5, 2010

Is it just me? Or were you once the young kid on the block too?

Figure this. The people who need age reversing technologies are generally the ones who can afford to pay for the research. By that I mean, the older generations. However, they are the ones who least understand the possibilities.

It’s the tech savvy, hipper younger generations who immediately grasp the implications of the exploding underlying science. Problem is, they don’t see it as something urgent. They also don’t have as much money as their parents.

Ironic, huh? The ones who need it and can afford it, don’t get it. Those who don’t, do. So left to the natural order of things, hundreds of millions will die prematurely while research plods along. But we’re not satisfied with the natural order of things, are we? If not us, who is going to kick research into high gear?

I went to a conference a little over a week ago. It was called Longevity Now, and it stressed raw foods and organic living. It was packed. And for the first time, they held a special closed session where they revealed cutting edge life extending technologies. Most of the conference attendees were young. In fact, they were what you might describe as “longevity hippies”. The hippies of the 60’s and 70’s were in tune with nature. In fact, a lot of them smelled like nature. The great unwashed’s children and grandchildren made up the bulk of this conference. But they were hipper, cleaner and tech savvy. They have their eye on the future, where their grandparents tended to live only in the present. But grasping the possibilities and implications of future events and making them happen are two different things.

In order to make something happen, you need to be motivated. In order to be strongly motivated, you need a burning desire and a sense of urgency. Sure, the older we get, the more we desire youth. We always have… for thousands of years. But in order to turn that motivation into results, you need a plan. And before you make and activate your plan, it needs to make sense. You need an achievable end point. That wasn’t possible until now. The tech savvy young easily integrate age reversal end points. But for the most part, they are unmotivated. They’re too busy enjoying their youth to try to preserve it. They figure they have plenty of time to let progress catch up. And they do.

We don’t. We’re in a race against the clock. In fact, I was so busy working to beat the clock, I was only able to attend one small segment of one day of the conference. The world is not getting any younger. I’m just getting older. It’s only getting younger compared to me. And compared to you. The young kids on the block are like you and I were. They’re growing up, squandering their youth, and slowly gaining wisdom in the process. By the time they have their children and grandchildren though, aging should have long been solved. And unless we push the agenda hard, now, it won’t be solved in time for us.

So again, what is the answer? This is the question that keeps me up at night. The scientists have a good grasp on what needs to be done. Now it takes money, time and organization. The answer I’m constantly searching for is how to raise the money on time to develop the technologies during our, including the investors’, lifetime? Until we get the answer, they will continue taking their fortunes to their graves instead of hanging around and using and building their wealth to make this a better world.

Long Life,
David Kekich
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LATEST HEALTHY LIFE EXTENSION HEADLINES

INHERITED EFFECTS OF CALORIE RESTRICTION IN ROTIFERS (October 01 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4925
The Economist looks at an intriguing research discovery: "The one sure way to prolong an animal's life is, paradoxically, to starve it. 'Caloric restriction', as it is known in the trade, works for everything from threadworms to mammals (people included, as far as can be ascertained without the luxury of controlled experiments). So it is no surprise that it also works for a group of small creatures known as rotifers. What makes this news is that the offspring of the rotifers in question also lived longer than normal. And that - the inheritance of an acquired characteristic - is quite startling. The offspring of calorie-restricted mothers have more catalase than those of mothers who were fed without restriction. The researchers also detected higher levels of the enzyme in the eggs of calorie-restricted mothers, so it could be that their offspring are simply endowed with the stuff. A more intriguing possibility, though, is that the relevant genes are affected by epigenesis, a process in which chemicals attached to the DNA control its activity. Epigenetic modifications are often retained when cells divide, and can sometimes be passed on to offspring." You'll recall that catalase gene engineered to localize in mitochondria can be used to extend life in mice.
Researchers will now have to check to see if mammals reproduce any of this inherited catalase effect seen in rotifers.

FAT TISSUE AND THE DEGENERATING BRAIN (September 30 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4923
The relationship between excess fat tissue and dementia is well known, and researchers continue to investigate the details: "Adipose tissue is an endocrine and paracrine organ that contributes to both metabolic and vascular homeostasis. Overweight and obesity due to excess adipose tissue, are cornerstones of vascular risk and increase risk for late-onset dementia. Vascular risk does not exist in isolation, and is accompanied by alterations in hormonal metabolism and metabolic syndromes. Thus, while vascular risk is highlighted as a primary mechanism for elevated dementia occurrence due to obesity, hormonal risk states may also precede or result from underlying dementia-related neuropathologies and direct neuronal toxicity. This is exemplified during the prodromal phase of dementia, as vascular and metabolic parameters decline in relation to dementia development, and potentially in a way that is different from 'normal' aging. In this review will be presented a review of the epidemiology of adiposity and dementia; adipose tissue biology; and two major hormones produced by adipose tissue, leptin and adiponectin, that interact directly with the brain. Understanding the role of adipose tissue in health of the brain is pivotal to a deeper understanding of dementia processes."

ATTACKING BREAST CANCER STEM CELLS (September 30 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4922
Via the Detroit News: "trials are being conducted on women with advanced stage breast cancer and attempt to target the cancer's stem cells, which are believed to be resistant to traditional therapies and the fuel behind cancer's spread. By using experimental drugs to block these cancer stem cells, doctors hope the tumors will shrink or at least stop spreading and will lead to better ways to treat - and possibly cure - the disease that is the nation's second-leading cause of death. We rarely use the 'C word' - cure - but the intent of research today is not to study (cancer) but to treat and ultimately to beat it. There is so much hope that we're positioned today with the information from the (human) genome, with the biologic expertise and understanding of the stem cells, I think we can be at the vanguard of treatments that hopefully will lead toward not just longer, disease-free survival but quite literally cures. That's the hope of the cancer stem cell approach. In breast cancer, we have very good results of getting rid of the primary cancer with surgery or radiation therapy but what is lethal to a number of women who actually die of breast cancer is the spread of the cancer. These cancer stem cells are the cells that are metastatic. That's why we had to develop new approaches to target these cancer stem cells if we are going to cure more women with breast cancer and other types of cancer."

MANIPULATING CELLS TO TRIGGER REGENERATION (September 29 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4921
Via EurekAlert!, signs of continued progress in understanding how to give orders to cells: "scientists have found a way to regenerate injured spinal cord and muscle by using small molecule drugs to trigger an influx of sodium ions into injured cells. The approach breaks new ground in the field of biomedicine because it requires no gene therapy; can be administered after an injury has occurred and even after the wound has healed over; and is bioelectric, rather than chemically based. Like human beings, who regenerate fingertips only as children, [tadpoles] lose the ability to regenerate their tail with age. Most remarkably, it was shown that [tadpoles] whose tails had been removed could be induced to make a perfect new tail by only an hour of treatment with a specific drug cocktail. The findings have tremendous implications for treating wounds. The treatment method used is most directly applicable to spinal cord repair and limb loss, which are highly significant medical problems world-wide. It also demonstrates a proof-of-principle that may be applicable to many complex organs and tissues. We have significantly extended the effective treatment window, demonstrating that even after scar-like wound covering begins to form, control of physiological signals can still induce regeneration. Artificially causing an influx of sodium for just one hour can overcome a variety of problems, such as the decline in regenerative ability that comes with age and the effect of regeneration-blocking drugs."

TISSUE ENGINEERING TO REATTACH TEETH (September 29 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4920
A good demonstration of dental tissue engineering: researchers "used stem cells obtained from the periodontal ligament of molars extracted from mice, expanded them in an incubator, and then seeded them on barren rat molars. The stem cell-treated molars were reinserted into the tooth sockets of rats. After two and four months, the stem cells aligned and formed new fibrous attachments between the tooth and bone, firmly attaching the replanted tooth into the animal's mouth. Tissue sections showed that the replanted tooth was surrounded by newly formed, functional periodontal ligament fibers and new cementum, the essential ingredients of a healthy tooth attachment. To verify that the ligament was formed by the transplanted stem cells and not by the animal's own cells, stem cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein prior to seeding them on the molars and re-inserting the teeth into the animal's mouth. Our research uncovered the code required to reattach teeth - a combination of natural tooth root surface structure together with periodontal progenitor cells. Our strategy could be used for replanting teeth that were lost due to trauma or as a novel approach for tooth replacement using tooth-shaped replicas."

MORE TOOTH ENAMEL REGENERATION (September 28 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4918
A paper to go along with a recent demonstration of in situ regeneration of enamel: "The regenerative capability of enamel, the hardest tissue in the vertebrate body, is fundamentally limited due to cell apoptosis following maturation of the tissue. Synthetic strategies to promote enamel formation have the potential to repair damage, increase the longevity of teeth and improve the understanding of the events leading to tissue formation. Using a self-assembling bioactive matrix, we demonstrate the ability to [induce] formation of enamel at chosen sites adjacent to a mouse incisor cultured in vivo under the kidney capsule. The resulting material reveals the highly organized, hierarchical structure of hydroxyapatite crystallites similar to native enamel. This artificially triggered formation of organized mineral demonstrates a pathway for developing cell fabricated materials for treatment of dental caries, the most ubiquitous disease in man. Additionally, the artificial matrix provides a unique tool to probe cellular mechanisms involved in tissue formation further enabling the development of tooth organ replacements."

AUBREY DE GREY AT FORTHCOMING REGENERATIVE MEDICINE CONFERENCES (September 27 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4917
Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey notes: "This October, Hannover and Detroit will host two of the year's most interesting and wide-ranging scientific conferences in the biomedical field. I'll be chairing sessions at both events, focused on the application of regenerative medicine to aging and aging-related disease - a synergy we at SENS Foundation term rejuvenation biotechnology. The World Stem Cell Summit - hosted this year in Detroit, Michigan from October 4th to 6th - is a wide-ranging event covering topics from basic research to social policy and ethics, and expected this year to attract more than 1,200 delegates from 30 nations. I'll be chairing a session at the summit entitled "Regenerative Medicine Against Aging - Technological, Political and Commercial Obstacles and Opportunities". Participants include Dan Perry, of the Alliance for Aging Research; Michael West, acclaimed biotechnology entrepreneur and CEO of Biotime, Inc.; and Huber Warner, former associate director of the National Institute on Aging. The World Congress on Preventive and Regenerative Medicine, hosted this year in Hannover from October 5th-7th, is the only international event addressing the entire regenerative medicine sector. This broad remit, similar to that of the SENS conference series, gives the meeting outstanding potential to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in research and development. I am serving as a vice-president of the Congress, and will co-chair a session entitled "Rejuvenation Biotechnologies: Applying Regenerative Medicine to Aging"."

THOUGHTS ON ANTIOXIDANTS AND AUTOPHAGY (September 27 2010) http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4916

Eric Drexler writes on the topic of antioxidants and autophagy: "Autophagy removes cell components - including ROS-damaged proteins and organelles - by engulfing and digesting them, producing wastes and recycled nutrients. Upregulating autophagy [has] extraordinarily wide-ranging benefits. Interventions that extend healthy lifespan in animal models include calorie restriction, resveratrol, spermidine, and rapamycin, and in each operates, at least in part, through autophagy. Upregulating autophagy has positive effects in models of several specific neurodegenerative diseases, too. Aantioxidants inhibit basal autophagy and block the induction of autophagy by calorie restriction and other means. Because this effect inhibits the central mechanism of cell repair, it helps explain why dietary antioxidants have failed to deliver their expected benefits to health and longevity." I would have said it has more to do with failing to target mitochondria, given the benefits demonstrated by mitochondrially targeted antioxidants. As Drexler notes, however, there's research to back up the antioxidant-autophagy link, which may have some relation to earlier research showing antioxidant supplementation to interfere with the processes of hormesis, and thus block beneficial effects of mild stress such as exercise.

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