The Goal Must be to Cure Aging

A cure for aging, as presently envisaged, would be a matter of bringing aging under medical control. Not stopping its progression, but rather periodically repairing the damage that accumulates in tissues as a result of the normal operation of metabolism. Present goals in the longevity industry are largely unambitious, aimed at a very modest improvement over the present situation via adjustment of metabolism, such as via mimicking some of the effects of calorie restriction. Thus more advocacy for the better end goal is necessary. More persuasion! There are approaches that can repair the molecular damage of aging, such as senolytic therapies to remove senescent cells, and other less well developed line items from the SENS program for rejuvenation therapies. Advancing the state of the art in this part of the field should be the priority. The ultimate goal should be to "cure aging" - a phrase that many in the field are uncomfortable with. "What I mean by curing aging is having a risk of death that doesn't vary depending on how long ago you were born. A lot of scientists, even aging biologists, get a little bit squeamish when you say that. But I really do think that should be the fundamental aim of all medicine." Using cancer as an example, most scientists working in that field would agree they are working towards an end goal of curing cancer. "I don't see why aging should be any different. At least the aspects of aging that cause frailty and discomfort and distres...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs