Reviewing What is Known of Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres
All cancerous cells must lengthen their telomeres in order to continue unfettered, harmful replication. Telomeres are repeated DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes. A little telomere length is lost with each cell division, and cells with short telomeres following repeated replication become senescent or self-destruct. This is how the Hayflick limit on somatic cell replication is enforced. Unlike somatic cells, stem cells are privileged, and use telomerase to lengthen telomeres in order to produce daughter somatic cells via replication throughout life. Cancer cells, on the other hand, use either telomerase (~90% of canc...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 25, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Advanced Multi-Organ Chip for Personalized Medicine
Researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science developed an advanced organ-on-a-chip system that incorporates heart, bone, liver, and skin tissue in independent niches that are linked with simulated vascular flows. The system even includes immune cells that circulate within the simulated vasculature. The technology represents an advance in organ-on-a-chip systems as it allows scientists to study the effects of drugs or interventions on multiple organs simultaneously. Moreover, as the engineered tissues are all created using induced pluripotent stem cells derived from a blood sample, it could a...
Source: Medgadget - May 11, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Genetics Materials Medicine Oncology Pathology columbia columbiauniversity organonchip Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 2nd 2022
In this study, we tested the therapeutic potential of VHHASC and a newly generated VHH against murine ASC (VHHmASC) to target ASC specks in vitro and in vivo. We show that pre-incubation of extracellular ASC specks with VHHASC abrogated their inflammatory functions in vitro. Recombinant VHHASC rapidly disassembled pre-formed ASC specks and thus inhibited their ability to seed the nucleation of soluble ASC. Notably, VHHASC required prior cytosolic access to prevent inflammasome activation within cells, but it was effective against extracellular ASC specks released following caspase-1-dependent loss of membrane integrity, an...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 1, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Mcl-1 Inhibitors as a Novel Class of Senolytic
Researchers working with prostate cancer cells here show that senescent cancer cells depend upon Mcl-1 to prevent programmed cell death, a novel target with existing drugs that may prove useful as general purpose senolytics, able to clear senescent cells from tissues. Cancers are highly varied, and this would have to be tested against the more usual types of senescent cell present in the aged body. Even if only applicable in the context of some cancers, however, this is still a useful discovery. Cancer survivors have a significantly reduced life expectancy in large part because they suffer a greatly increased burden of cel...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 29, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Excitable Nanoparticles Destroy Endometriosis Lesions
Researchers at Oregon State University developed a nanoparticle system that can aid with the removal of endometrial lesions in a minimally invasive fashion. In endometriosis, endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus, causing pain and affecting fertility. Surgery to remove these lesions is often unsuccessful and repeat surgeries are often required. The research team’s nanoparticle technology can aid in minimally invasively destroying such lesions.
The iron oxide nanoparticles can be delivered intravenously and are targeted to accumulate in endometrial lesions, and also handily act as an MRI contrast agent. By ap...
Source: Medgadget - April 25, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Nanomedicine Ob/Gyn Radiology OregonState Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, April 18th 2022
In conclusion, our results suggest that SAH extends lifespan by inducing MetR or mimicking its downstream effects. Since the lifespan-extending effects of SAH are conserved in yeast and nematodes, and MetR extends the lifespan of many species, exposure to SAH is expected to have multiple benefits across evolutionary boundaries. Our findings offer the enticing possibility that in humans the benefits of a MetR diet can be achieved by promoting Met reduction with SAH. The use of endogenous metabolites, such as SAH, is considered safer than drugs and other substances, suggesting that it may be one of the most feasible ways to ...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 17, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
An Enhanced Natural Killer Cell Therapy Clears Senescent Cells in Mice
A growing burden of senescent cells in tissues throughout the body is an important contributing cause of degenerative aging. These cells secrete pro-growth, pro-inflammatory signals that, when maintained for the long term, are highly disruptive of cell and tissue function. Cellular senescence is an important contributing cause in many age-related conditions. Senescent cells are created constantly throughout life, and the immune system is responsible for removing those that fail to destroy themselves. Unfortunately, it becomes worse at this task with age.
Natural killer cells are one of the immune cell populations in...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 12, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Optical Therapy Leads to Cancer Apoptosis
Researchers at Okayama University in Japan developed a novel technique to induce cancer cell apoptosis using light. The technology involves modifying the cells to express a light-sensitive protein that rapidly pumps hydrogen ions out of the cell when it is stimulated with light. This increase in cell alkalinity causes it to undergo apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. The researchers hope that the technology could pave the way for cancer therapies that are more gentle than current treatments, which often result in cell necrosis, a more traumatic form of cell death.
Technologies that target cancer have been in dev...
Source: Medgadget - April 5, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Oncology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 14th 2022
This study tests the feasibility of chronically elevating skeletal muscle NAD+ in mice and investigates the putative effects on mitochondrial respiratory capacity, insulin sensitivity, and gene expression. The metabolic effects of NR and PT treatment were modest. We conclude that the chronic elevation of skeletal muscle NAD+ by the intravenous injection of NR is possible but does not affect muscle respiratory capacity or insulin sensitivity in either sedentary or physically active mice. Our data have implications for NAD+ precursor supplementation regimens.
Muscle Strengthening Activities in Later Life Correlate ...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 13, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Many Mediocre Cancer Therapies Become Much Better When More Targeted to Cancerous Tissues
One of the important areas of cancer research and development that appears to receive a great deal of attention and funding, but in practice seems slow to make it from the laboratory to the clinic, is the targeting of therapeutics to cancerous cells. Reductio ad absurdum, near any of dozens of existing chemotherapeutics would do the job of completely clearing tumors, with minimal to no side-effects, if one could only find a way to delivery tiny amounts of the therapeutic to every cancer cell while avoiding every healthy cell. The inability to target treatments this effectively is exactly why cancer remains such a problem. ...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 9, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 14th 2022
In conclusion, this first examination of the effects of age and the ageing process on the small intestinal microbiome demonstrates that the duodenal microbiome changes with increasing age, with significant decreases in duodenal microbial diversity due to increased prevalence of phylum Proteobacteria, particularly coliforms and anaerobic taxa. Given the key roles of small intestinal microbes in nutrient absorption and host metabolism, these changes may be clinically relevant for human health during the ageing process.
Naked Mole Rats Exhibit Minimal Cardiac Aging
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2022/02/nake...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 13, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Early CAR-T Therapies Produced Long Term Remission in Some Cases
Much of what we'd like to know about cancer therapies takes a long time to emerge. Only now is the long term data available for the first CAR-T immunotherapies aimed at forms of leukemia in which cancerous cells are clearly and distinctly marked by characteristic surface features. The field has long since expanded, and researchers are at present trying to adjust CAR-T in order to apply this form of treatment to solid cancers. Long term remission is not the same as a cure, as cancer is a disease in which it remains challenging to say whether or not a few remnant cancer cells await a return at some future time. If one can ma...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 10, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 3rd 2022
In this study, we showed that the iPaD (inducing Plagl2 and anti-Dyrk1a) lentivirus substantially rejuvenated the proliferative and neurogenic potential of NSCs in the aged brain. Clonal analysis by a sparse labeling approach as well as transcriptome analysis indicated that iPaD can rejuvenate aged NSCs (19-21 mo of age) to a level comparable with those at 1 or 2 months of age and successfully improved cognition of aged mice.
Once rejuvenated and activated by iPaD, aged dormant NSCs can generate, on average, 4.9 neurons but very few astrocytes in 3-week tracing. Furthermore, these activated NSCs were maintained for ...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 2, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
A Look Back at 2021: Progress Towards the Treatment of Aging as a Medical Condition
Well, here we are again, at the end of another pandemic year, a year older and - hopefully - a year wiser and more knowledgeable. I said all that really needs to be said on the topic of COVID-19 as an age-related condition at the end of last year. We might hope that, given widespread vaccination, the pandemic will become a topic of diminishing importance as the year ahead progresses, even given the present round of variants, fears, and reintroduction of restrictions.
Advocacy for Aging Research
Have we finally made significant progress in convincing the world that aging is the cause of age-related disease, th...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 31, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Of Interest Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, October 18th 2021
In this study, we therefore analysed the influence of lithium treatment on lifespan and parameters of health during ageing in mice.
To determine the concentration of lithium suitable to be administered in a longitudinal ageing study, we first tested the effects of lithium chloride (LiCl) in doses from 0.01 to 2.79 g LiCl per kg chow. C57Bl/6J mice fed with 1.05-2.79 g/kg LiCL in the diet showed lithium plasma levels between 0.4 and 0.8 mM/l. While plasma levels to 0.4 and 0.8 mM/l are well tolerated by human patients, at doses above 1.44 g LiCl/kg, we observed an obvious dose-dependent polydipsia combined with a dis...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 17, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
