Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: life extension – Page 245

Citicoline, a drug that is naturally found in the body, is commonly used to treat a number of brain injuries and illnesses. For quite some time, doctors have prescribed it for strokes, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and general aging of the brain. Patients usually see improvement when taking the drug because the body uses it to create and repair cell membranes and lower the presence of free radicals, as noted in the Clinical Interventions in Aging Journal. (Free radicals, which are unstable molecules, can damage cells in the body and are associated with aging and illness.)

Now, researchers from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine have found evidence that citicoline can also be used to treat glaucoma. Normally, glaucoma is treated by removing fluid buildup in the eye, which creates pressure and wears down the cells in the eye and the nerves connecting to the brain. Though monitoring fluid buildup is important, glaucoma can still worsen after the pressure on the eye has been relieved.

Read more | >

Because the herpesvirus sits in neurons forever, there is speculation it is connected to neurodegenerative diseases. The immune system requires inflammation to constantly fight off the virus, and neurons have some degree of damage because of this continuous immune response, according to Dr. Tibor Valyi-Nagy, professor of pathology, director of neuropathology at UIC and research collaborator on the study.

Summary: Researchers discovered mutations of the OPTN gene resulted in increased herpesvirus 1 growth in the brains of mice, leading to the death of local neurons. This resulted in accelerated neurodegeneration. OPTN deficiency was also associated with impairments in immune response. While these findings are specific to the HSV-1 virus, researchers believe the findings may apply to up to eight herpesvirus infections.

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago

A new study by researchers at University of Illinois Chicago suggests that when the protein optineurin, or OPTN, is present in cells it restricts the spread of HSV-1, the herpes simplex virus type 1.

Continue reading “Study Finds Evidence of Possible Link Between Herpes Simplex and Neurogenerative Diseases” | >

Longer, Healthier, And More Productive Lives — Dr. Jean Accius Ph.D., Senior Vice President, AARP

Dr. Jean C. Accius, PhD, is Senior Vice President, AARP Global Thought Leadership (https://www.aarp.org/). Dr. Accius leads a team in positioning AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) as a global thought leader, identifying emerging trends around the world, cultivating and elevating new ideas, forging global strategic alliances that become the foundation for collaboration and sparking bold solutions to change systems and improve the lives of the global population as it ages.

Dr. Accius is a passionate champion and catalyst for changing how the world sees and values aging. He is an internationally recognized thought leader on aging, longevity, equity, health systems transformation and modernizing the delivery and financing of long-term care. With tri-sector experience and deep knowledge, he has a strong track record of building high-performing teams, managing cross-functional operations and processes, and developing innovative and actionable solutions, policies, and programs to close the opportunity gap so that everyone can live longer, healthier and more productive lives.

Continue reading “Dr. Jean C. Accius, Ph.D. — Senior Vice President, AARP — Longer, Healthier, More Productive Lives” | >

While is seems like the majority of the longevity space is currently overly captivated by the Aubrey de Grey/SENS debacle, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit is now beginning — Most interestingly, former R&D Head at PepsiCo, Dr. Mehmoud Khan, will be speaking in his new role as CEO of the Hevolution Foundation; a potential multi-billion $$$ initiative with a longevity angle — Everyone should keep their eye on this one…

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) will hold its inaugural Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit in September 2,021 with support from Johnson and Johnson Innovation and The John A. Hartford Foundation. The event will be virtual and held over three days, September 13 14, and 22 and feature an immersive, interactive digital venue with unique opportunities to engage and connect.

The Innovator Summit will honor the 154 international Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awardees from 2020 and bring together industry leaders, academics, researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs whose work contributes to the field of healthy longevity. Attendees will learn about the early-stage, award-winning innovations, hear from leaders in the field of healthy longevity, and take advantage of various opportunities to interact directly with other attendees, with a view to fostering interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration.

The event will feature remarks from the President of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Victor Dzau, and Catalyst Award Sponsors, Dr. William Hait, Global Head of Johnson & Johnson External Innovation, and Dr. Terry Fulmer, President of the John A. Hartford Foundation. Visionary keynote speakers will share insights into launching biotechnology start-ups and opportunities for groundbreaking science in the field of longevity. Participants will also be able to enjoy a robust selection of breakout sessions and the chance to network with Catalyst Award winners, researchers, venture capitalists, and more in one-on-one and small group settings.

Continue reading “Healthy Longevity Global Innovator Summit” | >

As we age, our bones become thinner, we suffer fractures more often, and bone-diseases such as osteoporosis are more likely to occur. One responsible mechanism involves the impaired function of the bone-marrow stem cells, which are required for the maintenance of bone integrity. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Ageing Research at the University of Cologne have now shown that the reduced stem cell function upon aging is due to changes in their epigenome. They were able to reverse these changes in isolated stem cells by adding acetate. This fountain of youth for the epigenome could become important for the treatment of diseases such as osteoporosis.

Aging Researchers have been looking at epigenetics as a cause of aging processes for some time. Epigenetics looks at changes in and chromosomes that do not alter the sequence of the genes themselves, but do affect their activity. One possibility is changes in proteins called histones, which package the DNA in our cells and thus control access to DNA. The Cologne research group of Peter Tessarz has now studied the epigenome of mesenchymal . These stem cells are found in marrow and can give rise to different types of cells such as cartilage, bone and fat cells.

Read more | >

With all that said, it’s natural for humans to crave and eat limited amounts of sugar. After going through all the research, here’s what I am doing for myself.

For example, foods high in fructose stimulate ghrelin while suppressing leptin—hormones responsible for hunger and satiety. Sugar can promote chronic hyperglycemia, which can both lead to weight gain and is another risk for diabetes. And sugary drinks, especially, are tied directly to obesity.

Sugar and aging: a bad combination (so what should we do?)

People looking to stay young for a long time should limit their sugar consumption. While how added sugar works in the body isn’t simple or predictable, there are literally thousands of studies tying added sugar to diseases of aging.

Continue reading “Sugar and Aging: What You Need to Know” | >

X-Prize board member Sergey Young on his new book, and the potential for a longevity X-Prize.

“We have created science and technology to extend our life, but we haven’t created life we want to extend.”–Sergey Young, Seeking Delphi™ episode #55, explaining why he believes more people do not support radical life extension.

Read more | >

One of the many areas graphene promises to have transformative effects is in fortifying construction materials like concrete and asphalt. A first-of-a-kind trial now underway seeks to apply the wonder material’s impressive attributes to one of the UK’s major thoroughfares, by deploying it in a road resurfacing project along a stretch of the A1 motorway.

Made up of a single sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, graphene offers incredible strength and flexibility, and by incorporating it into materials like asphalt scientists hope to develop road surfaces that last far longer, and therefore cost less to maintain.

Back in 2017 we looked at an interesting take on this from a pair of Italian companies that developed an asphalt material doped with a graphene additive to make it less likely to soften in the heat and crack in the cold under high loads. This product, known as Gipave, also incorporates plastic pellets and was recently rolled out along stretches of UK roads as part of trials to see how it can extend the lifespan of the surface.

Read more | >