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from the "who-wants-to-live-forever?" dept.
Biologists identify pathways that extend lifespan by 500%:
Scientists at the MDI Biological Laboratory, in collaboration with scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif., and Nanjing University in China, have identified synergistic cellular pathways for longevity that amplify lifespan fivefold in C. elegans, a nematode worm used as a model in aging research.
The increase in lifespan would be the equivalent of a human living for 400 or 500 years, according to one of the scientists.
The research draws on the discovery of two major pathways governing aging in C. elegans, which is a popular model in aging research because it shares many of its genes with humans and because its short lifespan of only three to four weeks allows scientists to quickly assess the effects of genetic and environmental interventions to extend healthy lifespan. Because these pathways are "conserved," meaning that they have been passed down to humans through evolution, they have been the subject of intensive research. A number of drugs that extend healthy lifespan by altering these pathways are now under development. The discovery of the synergistic effect opens the door to even more effective anti-aging therapies.
The new research uses a double mutant in which the insulin signaling (IIS) and TOR pathways have been genetically altered. Because alteration of the IIS pathways yields a 100 percent increase in lifespan and alteration of the TOR pathway yields a 30 percent increase, the double mutant would be expected to live 130 percent longer. But instead, its lifespan was amplified by 500 percent.
"Despite the discovery in C. elegans of cellular pathways that govern aging, it hasn't been clear how these pathways interact," said Hermann Haller, M.D., president of the MDI Biological Laboratory. "By helping to characterize these interactions, our scientists are paving the way for much-needed therapies to increase healthy lifespan for a rapidly aging population."
The elucidation of the cellular mechanisms controlling the synergistic response is the subject of a recent paper in the online journal Cell Reports entitled "Translational Regulation of Non-autonomous Mitochondrial Stress Response Promotes Longevity." The authors include Jarod A. Rollins, Ph.D., and Aric N. Rogers, Ph.D., of the MDI Biological Laboratory.
[...] The paper focuses on how longevity is regulated in the mitochondria, which are the organelles in the cell responsible for energy homeostasis. Over the last decade, accumulating evidence has suggested a causative link between mitochondrial dysregulation and aging. Rollins' future research will focus on the further elucidation of the role of mitochondria in aging, he said.
More information:
Jianfeng Lan et al. Translational Regulation of Non-autonomous Mitochondrial Stress Response Promotes Longevity, Cell Reports (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.078
Journal information: Cell Reports
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 11 2020, @11:35AM (11 children)
I don't think that's a good idea.
Imagine the Koch brothers ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers [wikipedia.org] ) doing 5000% more harm.
I was having a toast then fucking scumbag David Koch finally bite the dust.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 11 2020, @11:49AM
Sure you get to live for 400+ years with these genetic mods...but one of the side effects is that you turn into a worm.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 11 2020, @11:53AM (1 child)
500% more time for you to get your panties in a knot over left-wing propaganda.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 12 2020, @06:23AM
Thats what I thought.
1) Why/how do these worms usually die?
2) What differences are there in life cycle and behavior?
I sounds loke they just selected for maladapted worms.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by takyon on Saturday January 11 2020, @12:13PM (3 children)
If your society depends on aging (disease) to weed the rich out, you're utterly failing to curtail the rich, something that is unlikely but not impossible. And a Koch brother or three dying doesn't actually solve anything since there will always be more budding oligarchs to fill in the void. Maybe there is someone alive today who will become a trillionaire.
Whine about the anti-aging research if you want, it's worth an eye roll. What would be really interesting is if anti-aging is perfected and there is a serious movement to ban it. Let's see medicine being banned for effectively treating diseases. Also, I doubt it will be expensive and only available to the rich in the long run unless it involves targeted biologics or some extreme surgical methods. If it's drug(s) or nanobots, it will become dirt cheap.
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(Score: 4, Insightful) by HiThere on Saturday January 11 2020, @09:06PM (1 child)
It probably won't work that way, though.
The c. elegans is short-lived because it doesn't handle these pathways. Humans are long-lived among mammals, so we are probably already handling the pathways that are safe to handle more efficiently. There are likely to be trade-offs, e.g. increased probability of cancer or fragile bones.
This is useful basic research, but don't expect a simple translation to humans...or even dogs. (C. elegans is, after all, a non-homeothermic species.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday January 12 2020, @01:54AM
I already covered that in another comment. Applying the 500% in C. elegans to humans is clickbait or a conversation starter.
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(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday January 11 2020, @11:25PM
Extending aging to a fivefold degree should be a lottery system afforded only to Whites or mutts with dominant White genes, who pass a certain threshold of intelligence.
Alongside that, we can cut aid to Jews and third-world filth. That will ensure that the aging-extension lottery winners can live out their extended lives being productive and not being stabbed or firebombed, or lectured about privilege on a daily-basis by the Silicon Valley Mossadnik Sayanim.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Hartree on Saturday January 11 2020, @06:28PM
So, to get rid of a small number of people you don't like a bit faster than they'd be taken out by accidents and the like, you'd be happy to inflict earlier aging, infirmity and death on everyone else including those you consider friends.
Wow. Some friend you are.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday January 12 2020, @12:47AM (1 child)
David Koch was the better of the two; it's too bad Charles didn't go first. David at least did some pretty cool philanthropic stuff, like funding natural history museum exhibits in NY and DC. I don't know of anything that Charles ever did.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 12 2020, @01:49AM
He digs up a lot of fossils. It's not his fault the people who buy them burns them.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday January 12 2020, @06:38AM
Like employing a few hundred thousand people for a few thousand years? They'd be doing 5000% more good too.