George Church Discusses Gene Therapies as a Basis for Therapies to Control Aging

George Church is one of the more noteworthy business-oriented scientists whose work touches on aging and longevity science. He is involved in a number of different companies, and while his primary focus is genetics, his interests include tissue engineering, farming engineered pigs for xenotransplantation, and a range of other items. Just about everyone of note in the scientific community has a different view on aging: the theory, the plausibility of various endeavors, and how best to go about tackling it as a medical challenge. This interview illuminates a little more of Church's viewpoint, which is, as one might expect, quite focused on using gene therapies as the primary tool for delivery of therapeutic effects. In principle, though not yet in reality, a gene therapy can do everything a drug can, more effectively and more accurately. There is a little way to go yet in generating the necessary methodologies and a reliable technology platform, probably built atop CRISPR. Is there an accepted causal or ultimate theory of aging? There are hypotheses and different schools of thought. It's not so mature that there's total consensus. There are relatively few exciting fields of biology where there's total consensus. In aging, there's a school of thought that it's all about damage and you have to repair that damage. There's another school it's all about regulation and epigenetics, and if you get the cell in the right epigenetic state then it can repair its own damage; a you...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs