Partial reversal of aging achieved in mice

[ScienceRocks]

====Breaking off topic NEWS, AGING appears to have been officially reversed in MICE. I Feel this is historic and deserving of the main forum.====


Partial reversal of aging achieved in mice

Control of telomerase gene appears to control process


By Richard Saltus

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Harvard scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have for the first time partially reversed age-related degeneration in mice, resulting in new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility, and the return of a lost cognitive function.

In a report posted online by the journal Nature in advance of print publication, researchers led by Ronald A. DePinho, a Harvard Medical School (HMS) professor of genetics, said they achieved the milestone in aging science by engineering mice with a controllable telomerase gene. The telomerase enzyme maintains the protective caps called telomeres that shield the ends of chromosomes.

As humans age, low levels of telomerase are associated with progressive erosion of telomeres, which may then contribute to tissue degeneration and functional decline in the elderly. By creating mice with a telomerase switch, the researchers were able to generate prematurely aged mice. The switch allowed the scientists to find out whether reactivating telomerase in the animals would restore telomeres and mitigate the signs and symptoms of aging. The work showed a dramatic reversal of many aspects of aging, including reversal of brain disease and infertility.

While human applications remain in the future, the strategy might one day be used to treat conditions such as rare genetic premature aging syndromes in which shortened telomeres play an important role, said DePinho, senior author of the report and the director of Dana-Farber’s Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science. “Whether this would impact on normal aging is a more difficult question,” he added. “But it is notable that telomere loss is associated with age-associated disorders and thus restoration of telomeres could alleviate such decline.” The first author is Mariela Jaskelioff, a research fellow in medicine in DePinho’s laboratory.

Importantly, the animals showed no signs of developing cancer. This remains a concern because cancer cells turn on telomerase to make themselves virtually immortal. DePinho said the risk can be minimized by switching on telomerase only for a matter of days or weeks — which may be brief enough to avoid fueling hidden cancers or cause new ones to develop. Still, he observed, it is an important issue for further study.

In addition, DePinho said these results may provide new avenues for regenerative medicine, because they suggest that quiescent adult stem cells in severely aged tissues remain viable and can be reactivated to repair tissue damage. After four weeks, the scientists observed remarkable signs of rejuvenation in the treated mice. Overall, the mice exhibited increased levels of telomerase and lengthened telomeres, biological changes indicative of cells returning to a growth state with reversal of tissue degeneration, and increase in size of the spleen, testes, and brain. “It was akin to a Ponce de León effect,” noted DePinho, referring to the Spanish explorer who sought the mythical Fountain of Youth.

“When we flipped the telomerase switch on and looked a month later, the brains had largely returned to normal,” said DePinho. More newborn nerve cells were observed, and the fatty myelin sheaths around nerve cells — which had become thinned in the aged animals — increased in diameter. In addition, the increase in telomerase revitalized slumbering brain stem cells so they could produce new neurons.

Partial reversal of aging achieved in mice | Harvard Gazette

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

 

[Politico]

Minimizing symptoms of aging is not reversing it. That is impossible.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I Feel this is historic and deserving of the main forum.

And, you're wrong.

Mice are not short hairy people.
People are not tall naked rodents.

If you watch, you will find that every damn one of these breakthrough stories says some variation on

"... results cannot be extrapolated to humans ..."

and

" ... more animal tests are needed ..."

WHY?

Because, all basic model testing is done for only one real reason.

We are a culture of "publish or perish" and

we can't publish unless we can afford to run these huge mega-labs full of animals and

we can't buy the labs and the animals unless we get grants and we don't get grants unless we publish.

You will never again hear of any of these glorious breakthroughs because the only reason to publish the exciting "discoveries" is to get more grant money.

The end.

 

[Avatar4321]

Do we really need mice to remain youthful? Does it serve a purpose?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Minimizing symptoms of aging is not reversing it. That is impossible.

Absolutely true but people are gullible and desperate to live forever.

There will always be people who will believe this tripe and enough of them will be wealthy that there will always be funding for their ever-so-terribly important "work".

 

[Oldguy]

"....resulting in new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility, and the return of a lost cognitive function..."

So...there may be hope for Republican's after all?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Minimizing symptoms of aging is not reversing it. That is impossible.

Semantics. Reversing the symptoms theoretically preserves your youth. I assume we would live longer and be youthful longer.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I Feel this is historic and deserving of the main forum.

And, you're wrong.

Mice are not short hairy people.
People are not tall naked rodents.

If you watch, you will find that every damn one of these breakthrough stories says some variation on

"... results cannot be extrapolated to humans ..."

and

" ... more animal tests are needed ..."

WHY?

Because, all basic model testing is done for only one real reason.

We are a culture of "publish or perish" and

we can't publish unless we can afford to run these huge mega-labs full of animals and

we can't buy the labs and the animals unless we get grants and we don't get grants unless we publish.

You will never again hear of any of these glorious breakthroughs because the only reason to publish the exciting "discoveries" is to get more grant money.

The end.

Damn! Dudley just said something intelligent and well thought out.

You do realize that most of these researchers doing all of this publishing for grant money are mostly "liberals" like yourself, right?

 

[uscitizen]

Why in the world would we need mice that live longer?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Why in the world would we need mice that live longer?

A lot of hungry cats?

 

[Sallow]

And Mice 'round the world were heard Cheering!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJPFSNu_QNs]Pinky and The Brain Intro - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Duped]

Very interesting, but I want to live out my natural days, and die - get the fuck away from the liberals.

 

[Oldguy]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJsSTU2ChyU]Poor baby lab mice submitted to crash test - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Oldguy]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI2I_uxENyQ]Mouse vs Trap Funny - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Politico]

Reversing the symptoms theoretically preserves your youth. I assume we would live longer and be youthful longer.

No you would just look a little prettier in the box.

 

[Avatar4321]

"....resulting in new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility, and the return of a lost cognitive function..."

So...there may be hope for Republican's after all?

Sounds like it. We can now finally prevent ourselves from becoming Democrats.

 

[Lakhota]

This is violating God's plan.

 

[waltky]

Granny wantin' to know how log till dey do it fer humans...

... she wants to get her a nice young Chinaman...

... when dey bring dat 200 million man army...

... over here on dat aircraft carrier.

 

[Darkwind]

For people who allegedly understand science, you liberals are pretty fucking stupid.

Or don't any of you know how research in the genetic studies are done?

 

[HUGGY]

Partial reversal of aging achieved in mice


Great news! Now they need to do the same for fleas and cocroaches.