Human Trials of Therapies that Aim to Clear α-synuclein from the Aging Brain

A major theme in rejuvenation biotechnology is periodical removal of metabolic waste. The accumulation of various altered proteins into solid deposits that are not found in young tissues is a form of damage. The presence of this waste at best alters cellular behavior in undesirable ways, and at worst causes harm and cell death. This is a root cause of aging, and thus the ability to safely remove the buildup of waste, once achieved, will be a form of rejuvenation. There are many forms of unwanted waste proteins found in old tissues: the amyloid-β and tau best known for their appearance in Alzheimer's disease; the transthyretin amyloid of senile systemic amyloidosis; the many constituents of lipofusin, including the A2E that contributes to cell death in retinal degeneration; the glucosepane cross-links that make bone become brittle and arteries stiffen; and the topic for today, the α-synuclein implicated in Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies. The research community is slowly making inroads into the development of clearance therapies. The most funding has gone into Alzheimer's and amyloid-β, but there is more interest now in tau and α-synuclein than there was in the past. The SENS Research Foundation has done a great deal to pick up the slack where other forms of waste were being ignored: they funded the work that lead to A2E clearance development at Ichor Therapeutics, for example, have worked on breaking down 7KC, one of the compounds implicated in athe...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs