Saturday, January 29, 2011

Slowing Down Our Biological Clocks


Stop, rewind: the scientists slowing the ageing process


woman and child The ageing process has been linked with many biological mechanisms

Scientists are slowly unlocking the secrets of ageing, and some suggest treatments may soon be at hand to slow or even reverse the ageing process.

But what can science really achieve, and what are the dangers of meddling with our biological clocks?

Could such treatments induce cancers in humans, for example, and what about the world's burgeoning population and the West's "pension time bomb"?

Chromosome tips The ageing process is a complex one, and for long remained an impenetrable mystery, but progress is now being made.

Late last year, a team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston published a Nature paper in which they detailed the reversing of the ageing process in mice.

They targeted the chromosomes that reside within the nuclei of all cells, and specifically telomeres, caps at the tips of chromosomes. The telomeres protect the chromosomes from damage, but also shorten with age, until the cells are no longer able to replicate.

Professor Ronald DePinho and colleagues manipulated the enzyme that regulates these tips - known as telomerase - and witnessed dramatic results. Boost the enzyme, and the mice appeared to rewind the clock.


Click to play

The BBC's Neil Bowdler reports on the science of ageing

"What we were expecting was a slowing or stabilisation of the ageing process," he told the BBC. "Instead we witnessed a dramatic reversal in the signs and symptoms of ageing."

"These animals had their brains increase in size, they improved their cognition, their coat-hair was restored to a healthy sheen and their fertility was also restored."

Of course, this was a story of mice, not men, and applying such principles to humans could be an altogether bigger challenge. Telomerase has been linked with cancer, and there are likely to be many other mechanisms involved in ageing.

Many believe mitochondria may play a bigger role - genetic material contained within the cell but outside the nucleus. Mitochondria are the "power houses" of cells, but have also been seen to generate harmful chemicals linked with aging.

Then there is the role played by free radicals, highly reactive atoms or molecules that attack our bodies. Stem cells, primitive cells which play a key role in renewing the human body, are also likely to be involved.

Anti-ageing drug But even though a comprehensive picture of how we age is still to be constructed, there are scientists who are already testing anti-ageing treatments on humans.
Chromosome with telomeres at tips Telomeres (in red) are found at the ends of each chromosome, and shorten with age

Professor David Sinclair also works in Boston at an ageing laboratory at Harvard Medical School. He and his colleagues have been working on synthetic drugs called "Sirtuin activating compounds" or STACs.

Animal studies have indicated STACs can restore the health and life prospects of obese mice and early-stage trials in humans are now underway.

The research follows earlier work on resveratrol, a naturally-occurring ingredient of red wine. Both resveratrol and STACs appear to mimic the effects of restricting calorie intake, which has been seen to slow ageing in animals.

"This isn't going to be an excuse to eat French fries all day and watch TV but is a way to augment your healthy lifestyle and give you the ultimate benefits of perfect health which your body is capable of," Professor Sinclair told the BBC.

"It doesn't change food intake - the mice eat just normally or they get fatter, but their body doesn't seem to know they're fat and their organs and even their longevity is as good as a really healthy mouse."

But should we be experimenting with something so fundamental as ageing in the first place? And what of the ethical issues?

Professor Tim Spector of King's College London, who also works on the ageing process, says the focus is not on extending life, but on extending good health.

"If it means by living a long time you're crippled by arthritis and can't get out of the house that's not much use to anyone."

"But by understanding the ageing process, we can help combat arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, all these things which are age-related."

Professor James Goodwin, head of research at Age UK, believes access will quickly emerge as a key issue, should effective anti-ageing medical treatments be developed.

"Will everybody be able to get this technology which will give them a longer healthier life, or will it be restricted to the rich and wealthy?" he asks.

"Or how will the poorer countries regard the richer countries of the world where everyone is living well and living longer?"


Comments

  • We've already over-populated the planet and are seeing problems that are the result of that. I don't think it's in anyone interest, ours or any of the other species that share this planet, that the rate of human population is able to take another increase in pace. This is nothing more than satisfying our own superficial and selfish desires.
  • There are pros and cons to everything. Not many people wouldn't want to revert to how they were at an earlier time in their lives and have the same level of health (and hair) as they did in their early 20s. Humans adapt to change and will have to adapt to take account of longer lifespans. We may even give more thought to how we treat our planet if we know we're going to be on it for longer.
  • I think the social implications of clinical immortality are unprecedented. The birth rate would need to be regulated, but the luxury of time introduces the notion of dedicated parenthood (parents able to raise their child full-time with state support). Academics could explore multiple fields, driving interdisciplinary research. And then legal suicide for those who've done all they ever wanted ...
  • I don't understand why people suddenly see this as a problem. We have been 'prolonging' life for many years now, starting with antibiotics and scaling up to joint replacements etc. The aim of modern research in this field is to improve quality of life, not necessarily the quantity. As for it being restricted to the rich and wealthy...isn't this the case for most modern 'medicine'?
  • I feel the ethical issue will be a bit of a non-starter. Peoples desire to live longer and free of aging related diseases will convince most. The insurance companies will convince the rest.

    How we will use the extra time we have? Maybe 30 years working, 10 years giving back to society, a couple of years hiatus, then start over with a new education?

    And we'll need somewhere new to live!
Comments 5 of 10

More on This Story

Related stories

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites

PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 100,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in this PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!

No comments: