Summary: Researchers have discovered that the protein USP50 regulates DNA replication by managing which enzymes—nucleases or helicases—cleave or unwind DNA strands during replication. This control is crucial for stable replication, especially when the process encounters issues that need restarting. When USP50 is absent, cells struggle to coordinate enzyme use, leading to replication errors and potential genetic instability.
The findings provide new insights into genome maintenance and may help explain some hereditary conditions, such as early-onset aging and certain cancers. Understanding USP50’s role opens doors to potential therapeutic strategies aimed at protecting DNA integrity.
To support the data generated in Il11ra1-deleted mice on a mixed C57BL6/129 genetic background30 and to more deeply dissect age-related effects, we studied young (3-month-old) and aged (2-year-old) female mice with deletion of Il11 (Il11−/−) on a C57BL6/J background31.
Immunoblots confirmed IL-11 up-regulation across tissues in old age in this additional strain (Fig. 1m). Old female Il11−/− mice had lower body weights and fat mass and preserved lean mass (Fig. 2a–c). The frailty score15 of old female Il11−/− mice was lower than that of old wild-type mice and their body temperatures were mildly increased (Fig. 2d and Extended Data Fig. 5a). Lower frailty scores were largely driven by improvements in tremor, loss of fur colour, gait disorders and vestibular disturbance (Supplementary Table 1). Muscle strength was higher in both young and old Il11−/− mice (a phenomenon that was observed for some other phenotypes) compared with age-matched controls (Fig. 2e and Extended Data Fig. 5b).
Chronic inhibition of mTORC1 with rapamycin can cause glucose intolerance owing to indirect inhibition of mTORC235. It was therefore important to more fully assess the effects of IL-11 inhibition on liver function, metabolism and glucose utilization in old mice. As wild-type mice aged, there were increases in serum AST, ALT, cholesterol and triglycerides, which were collectively mitigated in old Il11−/− mice (Fig. 2f and Extended Data Fig. 5c, d). Glucose tolerance test (GTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT) profiles of old Il11−/− mice were similar to those of young wild-type mice, whereas GTTs and ITTs of old wild-type mice showed impairment (Fig. 2g and Extended Data Fig. 5e, f). Indexed skeletal muscle mass was greater in both young and old Il11−/− mice compared with the equivalent wild-type mice (Extended Data Fig. 5g).
Bryan Johnson, a millionaire tech entrepreneur dedicated to reversing ageing, recently took to social media to boast about his “super clean plasma.” In a detailed post on X, he shared that a lab technician couldn’t bring himself to dispose of the plasma after a total plasma exchange (TPE) procedure.
Johnson claims to have reduced his epigenetic age through his comprehensive regimen called Project Blueprint. He follows a strict diet and exercise routine, spends over $2 million annually on a team of doctors and medical equipment, and undergoes both experimental and conventional treatments-including the recent TPE procedure.
TPE, a procedure often used in regenerative medicine and anti-ageing treatments, involves replacing a patient’s plasma with donor plasma or a substitute fluid. In Johnson’s case, his plasma was replaced with albumin.
Expanding Healthy Human Lifespan for All — Dr. Mehmood Khan, MD — CEO, Hevolution Foundation.
Dr. Mehmood Khan, MD is the Chief Executive Officer of Hevolution Foundation (https://www.hevolution.com/), a first of its kind non-profit organization that funds research through grants and provides investments in biotech to incentivize healthspan science across disciplines and borders for the benefit of all. Established by a Saudi Royal Decree, with its headquarters in Riyadh, with additional international hubs to support the expansion and execute the global mission, it’s vision is to expand healthy human lifespan for the benefit of all humanity.
Hevolution Foundation aims to be positioned as a global leader, catalyst, partner, and convener, to increase the number of scientists entering the field, to increase the investable opportunities in the field of aging, and to help shape the regulatory and government environment.
Dr. Khan also currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Life Biosciences Inc. where he joined the company in April 2019 as the Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. Life Biosciences was founded to advance scientific research and develop innovative new therapies to improve and extend healthy lives for everyone.
Dr. Khan previously served as Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Research and Development at PepsiCo, a Fortune 50 company employing upwards of 250,000 employees across 22 brands. At PepsiCo, Dr. Khan played a pivotal role in the company’s global R\&D efforts to create breakthrough innovations in food, beverages, and nutrition, including the incorporation of healthier and more nutritious offerings across its portfolio. Dr. Khan also oversaw PepsiCo’s global sustainability initiatives based on the belief that success in business is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world we share.
Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists who arranged for 48 human bioengineered heart tissue samples to spend 30 days at the International Space Station report evidence that the low gravity conditions in space weakened the tissues and disrupted their normal rhythmic beats when compared to Earth-bound samples from the same source.
The scientists said the heart tissues “really don’t fare well in space,” and over time, the tissues aboard the space station beat about half as strongly as tissues from the same source kept on Earth.
The findings, they say, expand scientists’ knowledge of low gravity’s potential effects on astronauts’ survival and health during long space missions, and they may serve as models for studying heart muscle aging and therapeutics on Earth.
Life expectancy growth has slowed since 1990, with average gains of only 6.5 years in the longest-living populations, suggesting a possible biological limit. A new study emphasizes shifting focus from merely extending life to improving the quality of life through advancements in aging science. Life expectancy saw dramatic increases throughout…
1 Timothy 6:16 is one of the foundational verses for conditionalists. In it, we see a theological principle that we are not ready to relinquish in favour of popular teachings. It is the principle that God is the only being in the universe who has immortality; only God has Immortality His immortality is exclusive. In that respect, he is different from all other beings.
“The only One who has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; no one has seen or can see Him, to Him be honour and eternal might. Amen” (HCSB).
The verse is the second part of a doxology: a pause to praise the God of whom the author is writing. In its context, Paul is encouraging Timothy to keep pursuing eternal life to which he was called, but has not yet attained. It is a promise from the only one capable of making that promise: God, who alone possesses that thing that Paul urges Timothy to pursue.
A paper titled “Implausibility of radical life extension in humans in the twenty-first century” was destined to ignite controversy in the longevity community. Published in Nature Aging, it lists Jay Olshansky as its corresponding author, a renowned researcher who has been studying the populational dynamics of life expectancy for decades. We delved deeper into this study and reached several prominent community members for comments.
