Host Mark Sackler and panelists discuss the challenges of getting governments and the public on board with one of the basic principles of longevity research: that the cause of all chronic diseases of aging is aging itself.
Category: life extension – Page 359
Exponential Wisdom Episode 93: Longevity Mindset: Part 3
Peter and Dan continue their conversation about the Abundance Platinum Longevity trip, where Peter and a select group of entrepreneurs, executives and investors spent five days learning from the top longevity and immunology experts in two of California’s top biotech hubs.
To hear past episodes: http://podcast.diamandis.com or Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exponential-wisdom/id1001794471
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kndtSutHbCBQNaDmdV1fU
Cell aging can be slowed by oxidants
At high concentrations, reactive oxygen species—known as oxidants—are harmful to cells in all organisms and have been linked to aging. But a study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has now shown that low levels of the oxidant hydrogen peroxide can stimulate an enzyme that helps slow down the aging of yeast cells.
One benefit of antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, is that they neutralize reactive oxygen species —known as oxidants—which may otherwise react with important molecules in the body and destroy their biological functions. Larger amounts of oxidants can cause serious damage to DNA, cell membranes and proteins for example. Our cells have therefore developed powerful defense mechanisms to get rid of these oxidants, which are formed in our normal metabolism.
It was previously believed that oxidants were only harmful, but recently, scientists have begun to understand that they also have positive functions. Now, the new research from Chalmers University of Technology shows that the well-known oxidant hydrogen peroxide can actually slow down the aging of yeast cells. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical used for hair and tooth whitening, among other things. It is also one of the metabolically produced oxidants that is harmful at higher concentrations.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS)
IPSC are derived from skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state that enables the development of an unlimited source of any type of human cell needed for therapeutic purposes. For example, iPSC can be prodded into becoming beta islet cells to treat diabetes, blood cells to create new blood free of cancer cells for a leukemia patient, or neurons to treat neurological disorders.
In late 2007, a BSCRC team of faculty, Drs. Kathrin Plath, William Lowry, Amander Clark, and April Pyle were among the first in the world to create human iPSC. At that time, science had long understood that tissue specific cells, such as skin cells or blood cells, could only create other like cells. With this groundbreaking discovery, iPSC research has quickly become the foundation for a new regenerative medicine.
Using iPSC technology our faculty have reprogrammed skin cells into active motor neurons, egg and sperm precursors, liver cells, bone precursors, and blood cells. In addition, patients with untreatable diseases such as, ALS, Rett Syndrome, Lesch-Nyhan Disease, and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy donate skin cells to BSCRC scientists for iPSC reprogramming research. The generous participation of patients and their families in this research enables BSCRC scientists to study these diseases in the laboratory in the hope of developing new treatment technologies.
Tracking cancer’s immortality factor
Canadian scientists have achieved a first in the study of telomerase, an essential enzyme implicated in aging and cancer.
In today’s edition of the prestigious journal Molecular Cell, scientists from Université de Montréal used advanced microscopy techniques to see single molecules of telomerase in living cells.
A flaw in the replication of chromosomes means that they get shorter with each cell division. If nothing is done to correct this error, replication stops and cells go into a state called senescence, a hallmark of aging. Normally, telomerase adds extra DNA to the ends of chromosomes to prevent this problem, but as we age our bodies produce fewer of them.
Best DNA Tests for Health and Longevity
Has anyone here done a DNA test for longevity? I’m curious if you have any experiences with specific companies you can share. I researched 7 different big ones and am trying to decide which to go with.
Note: This is the second in our series of posts about the best DNA tests for health and longevity. To better understand the basics of DNA and the different types of DNA tests on the market please go back and read the first piece on The Benefits of Genetic Testing for Longevity.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Longevity Advice is reader-supported. When you buy using links on our site, we may earn commissions.
Getting a DNA test just to discover your ancestry is like buying a sports car just to drive it on 25 MPH roads to pick up groceries.
Seeing the Future: Longevity Research and Glaucoma (Video)
Dr David Sinclair (Harvard) : “I want to mention one thing that nobody except the insiders would know, is that I was at a conference a couple weeks ago with all 15 of us talking about this reprogramming work, and a lot of it is not published yet. I’ve seen things that make my head spin, the ability to turn back aging in a whole animal,…”
On October 27, 2020, Glaucoma Research Foundation presented the 2020 Weston Lecture featuring a talk by world-renowned Harvard Medical School genetics researcher and best-selling author David Sinclair, PhD, AO discussing longevity research and glaucoma.
Quantifying Biological Age: Blood Test #5 in 2020
Here’s my latest video!
My latest blood test results are in-how’s my biological age?
In the video, I discuss my dietary approach prior to my latest blood test, the blood test results, and my plan to improve them with diet going forward.
Senotherapeutic peptide reduces skin biological age and improves skin health markers
Hi everybody. Today, it was published a paper in which it’s described the research that led to the identification and testing of a peptide that reduces the amount of senescent cells in the skin, and that peptide is being used in the first product in the whole world (as far as I know) that is already in the market and reduces the amount of senescent cells in humans (in this case, in the skin). The paper can be found in I don’t think it’s an ordinary thing that a product that reduces the amount of senescent cells is being sold in the market. After many years watching Aubrey de Grey’s talks, and reading news about promising researches about senescent cells, and about the formation of many companies to research how to reduce the amount of senescent cells, finally there is something that reached the public. This paper is very important as it allows that the rejuvenation field analyzes it and be prepared to seize this opportunity to show to the world, in practice, that the theoretical base of the rejuvenation therapies can be translated to practice and rejuvenate the human body — in this case, the skin. As some of you already know, the company which organized this research and launched the product is OneSkin, and its CEO, Carolina Reis, has been presenting their research in several conferences in the rejuvenation field in the last months. OneSkin is a company with its interests, of course, but at the same time is a representative of the rejuvenation field which is opening a path for all the other companies.
Skin aging has been primarily related to aesthetics and beauty. Therefore, interventions have focused on reestablishing skin appearance, but not necessarily skin health, function, and resilience. Recently, cellular senescence was shown to play a role in age-related skin function deterioration and influence organismal health and, potentially, longevity. In the present study, a two-step screening was performed to identify peptides capable of reducing cellular senescence in human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria (HGPS) patients. From the top four peptides of the first round of screening, we built a 764-peptide library using amino acid scanning, of which the second screen led to the identification of peptide 14. Peptide 14 effectively decreased HDF senescence induced by HGPS, chronological aging, ultraviolet-B radiation, and etoposide treatment, without inducing significant cell death, and likely by modulating longevity and senescence pathways. We further validated the effectiveness of peptide 14 using human skin equivalents and skin biopsies, where peptide 14 promoted skin health and reduced senescent cell markers, as well as the biological age of samples, according to the Skin-Specific DNA methylation clock, MolClock. Topical application of peptide 14 outperformed Retinol treatment, the current gold-standard in anti-aging skincare. Finally, we determined that peptide 14 is safe for long-term applications and also significantly extends both the lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans worms tested in two independent testings. This highlights the potential for geroprotective applications of the senotherapeutic compounds identified using our screening platform beyond the skin.
MB, AZ, CR, LB, EA, and JC are named as inventors of a patent directed at this invention, which is solely owned by OneSkin, Inc. MB, AZ, CR, EA, and JC are co-founders of OneSkin Inc. SAV and MR are co-founders of the startup company NemaLife Inc. that is commercializing microfluidic devices used in this study and licensed from Texas Tech University. SAV, MR, and TA are named inventors on a patent owned by Texas Tech University and receive royalty fees.