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GENE SHORTLIST. “We longitudinally confirmed 11 positive regulators of lifespan; these genes decrease C. elegans longevity when inactivated post-developmentally. We confirm 30 new LAGs identified through network analysis of C. elegans and human candidates.” http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048282 View in LinkedIn

THE WHY. "You may ask why plants even bother with such an odd and complicated life cycle. First, going through a haploid-only stage allows for the weeding out or removal of bad genes. Second, going through a diploid stage allows for genetic variation. Both of these help improve the overall survival of the plant species." Thirdly, it allows the zygote to be dormant until favorable conditions occur. http://study.com/academy/lesson/alternation-of-generations-the-gametophyte-and-sporophyte.html View in LinkedIn

CANDIDATE LONGEVITY GENES. “The partners of known LAGs in the worm and human longevity networks may participate in the intricate pathways and complexes that regulate lifespan, and are therefore candidate longevity genes. Our primary analysis, 156 of these inactivations resulted in extended (101) or decreased (55) lifespan. We confirmed a subset (30 genes) of these phenotypes in rigorous longitudinal analyses.” http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048282 View in LinkedIn

VENTURE-BACKED EFFORT. “In his latest effort, Venter and backers announced the $70 million start of Human Longevity Inc. (HLI), a partnership with the University of California, San Diego, and other scientific organizations. "HLI is going to change the way medicine is practiced by helping to shift to a more preventive, genomic-based medicine model which we believe will lower healthcare costs. Our goal is not necessarily lengthening life, but extending a healthier, high performing, more productive life span. This is Celera on steroids and cocaine." Co-founders include Craig Venter, Ph.D., Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., and Peter H. Diamandis, M.D. https://lnkd.in/dkR6ua5 View in LinkedIn

ANOTHER ANTI-AGING STRATEGY. "By tricking the cell into thinking it’s young again, with adequate amounts of NAD, aging can theoretically be reversed. “When we give the molecule, the cells think oxygen levels are normal and everything revs back up again." During aging, NAD drops 50%. http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/19/reversing-aging-not-as-crazy-as-you-think/ View in LinkedIn

SIROLIMUS, an anti-organ rejection drug, called "Rapamycin is shown to increase longevity by inhibiting the target of rapamycin kinase (TOR). Study systems including yeast, nematodes, flies, and mammals, have shown that reduction of TOR signaling will result in an increased life span." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_extension View in LinkedIn

REVERSING STEM CELL SENESCENCE."Researchers were able to turn back the molecular clock by infusing the blood stem cells of old mice with a longevity gene and rejuvenating the aged stem cells’ regenerative potential. “We already know that sirtuins regulate aging, but our study is really the first one demonstrating that sirtuins can reverse aging-associated degeneration. This opens the door to potential treatments for age-related degenerative diseases.” https://lnkd.in/dEjczux View in LinkedIn

MAKING MICE HEARTS YOUNGER. “In this study, we were able to show that a protein that circulates in the blood is related to this aging process, and if we gave older mice this protein, we could reverse the heart aging in a very short period of time,” Lee said. “We are very excited about it because it opens a new window on the most common form of heart failure.” https://lnkd.in/dSqtGre View in LinkedIn

STEM CELLS FOR TISSUE DAMAGE. “Taking their cue from salamander regeneration, a team led by the University of New South Wales says that a stem cell therapy capable of regenerating any human tissue damaged by injury, disease, or aging could be available within a few years, thanks to an innovative new technique.” https://lnkd.in/djdqzys View in LinkedIn

CANDIDATE GENES EMERGE. “In the largest linkage scan thus far performed for human familial longevity, we confirm that the APOE locus is a longevity gene and that additional longevity loci may be identified at 14q11.2, 17q12-q22, and 19p13.3-p13.11. As the latter linkage results are not explained by common variants, we suggest that rare variants play an important role in human familial longevity.” (APOE is a class of fat metabolizing pathway proteins linked to Alzheimer’s). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.12039/full View in LinkedIn