We’ve been following anti-aging news and developments, not so much for our blogging but rather, because we want to live forever. Today’s MIT Technology Review has a good summary of the state of the field, and describes the link between calorie-restriction (the only proven life-extender you can try at home) and the sir2 gene — that wacky gene that can double worm’s life expectancy.
It turns out sir2 and its mammalian homologues don’t simply extend life, but boost the body’s immunity, prevent cardiovascular decay, fight diabetes, and pretty much everything you could want in a gene. But how to get these benefits without calorie restriction?
Amidst this flurry of research, however, it was a 2003 paper in the journal Nature by Sinclair and his collaborators that really caught the attention of those hoping to turn the science of sirtuins into drugs. Sinclair identified a class of common chemicals, called polyphenols, that activate sirtuins. The findings suggested it might be possible to develop small-molecule drugs that could interact with sirtuins and turn on their apparent beneficial effects.
Trials are coming, sooner than we thought (ie, next year — though it’s never to soon to stop aging).
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