Lifeboat Foundation

You may have forgotten about the nucleolus since you took biology class, but scientists think this structure inside every cell in your body may play an important role in aging.

Researchers have the molecular structure of telomerase. This should speed up the discovery of the best activators and inhibitors of telomerase.

Good activators of telomerase has been shown to boost the lifespan of mice by 20%.

Nature – Cryo-EM structure of substrate-bound human telomerase holoenzyme.

Continue reading “We have the molecular structure of telomerase which could accelerate antiaging results” »

At the cellular level, aging and cancer are two sides of the same coin. The mechanism that limits a cell’s lifespan can be slowed down, but that can turn them cancerous, as they divide unchecked. Now, scientists at EPFL have found a way to manipulate that mechanism to effectively turn off cancer’s immortality, letting it die slowly and naturally.

Every time a cell divides, it consults the blueprints contained in the chromosomes, but some genetic information is lost with every division. To protect the important bits, the tips of the chromosomes are covered with repeating sequences of “junk” DNA known as telomeres. Eventually even they erode away, leaving the cell vulnerable to damage – which we recognize as wrinkles, grey hairs, decreased metabolism, and higher chances of disease. In that way, telomere length is inextricably linked to aging.

Found in turmeric, curcumin has previously been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in lab studies. It also has been suggested as a possible reason that senior citizens in India, where curcumin is a dietary staple, have a lower prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and better cognitive performance.

“Exactly how curcumin exerts its effects is not certain, but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to both Alzheimer’s disease and major depression,” said Dr. Gary Small, director of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA’s Longevity Center and of the geriatric psychiatry division at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and the study’s first author.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 40 adults between the ages of 50 and 90 years who had mild memory complaints. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or 90 milligrams of curcumin twice daily for 18 months.

Continue reading “Curcumin improves memory and mood, new UCLA study says” »

Money might not buy love, but it can buy better health. And, to live as long as possible, the world’s wealthy are willing to pay up.

The wealthy are willing to pay for a longer life. The successor to income inequality is longevity inequality.

Somewhat paradoxically, euthanasia and life extension share a common goal—ending pointless suffering.

On May 10 this year, Australian ecologist David Goodall took his own life before aging could. The scientist, aged 104, reportedly said he “regretted” having reached that age, because the quality of his life had significantly deteriorated as a consequence of his declining health. Unhappy with his condition, though not suffering from any terminal disease—except for aging itself—Goodall opted to end his life through assisted suicide. As the practice is currently not allowed in Australia, he flew with friends and family all the way to a clinic in Switzerland, where he flipped a switch and administered his own lethal injection while listening to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Interestingly, the cost of his trip to Switzerland was covered with money collected through a crowdfunding campaign.

A matter of rights

Continue reading “The right to die and the right to live” »

The first conference on ageing research organised by the Life Extension Advocacy Foundation is coming to New York on July 12th!

We’re extremely excited to announce “Ending Age-Related Diseases: Investment Prospects & Advances in Research”, the very first rejuvenation biotechnology conference that LEAF has organized.

Respected speakers from around the globe

Continue reading “Announcing the ‘Ending Age-Related Diseases’ Conference” »

Recently, roughly 200 eminent scientists assembled in Boston. Their agenda? Creating “superhero” human cells impervious to all viral attacks and possibly other killers—radiation, freezing, aging, or even cancer.

The trick isn’t super-soldier serum. Instead, the team is relying on tools from synthetic biology to read the cell’s genetic blueprint and rewrite large chunks of the genome to unlock these superpowers.

“There is very strong reason to believe that we can produce cells that would be completely resistant to all known viruses,” said Dr. Jef Boeke, a geneticist at New York University and a co-leader of the project. “It should also be possible to engineer other traits, including resistance to prions and cancer.”

Continue reading “Scientists Kick Off Synthetic Biology Project to Make Virus-Resistant Super Cells” »

Today, we wanted to bring your attention to a new review that takes an in-depth look at genomic instability, senescent cell accumulation, and its role in aging.

DNA damage as a driver of aging

Genomic instability, otherwise known as DNA damage, is thought by many researchers to be a primary reason why we age. Damage to, and imperfect repair of, the genomes of stem and progenitor cells causes mutations, which are then passed to the somatic cells they create [1].

Continue reading “Reviewing Genomic Instability, Cellular Senescence, and Aging” »