Anti-aging formula slated to begin human trials

[JimC]

ahem... "General Serious Discussion & Philosophy"

Only TA has managed it so far.

Excuse me!

My literary reference was highly intellectual!

Ah yes, sorry, I forgot that..

Actually, can you expand on what it's about?

A somewhat dated, but (IMO) well-written SF book about the discovery of an anti-aging compound...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Lichen

[Faithfree]

Things like Botox, hand creams, and hair dye exist to prolong the appearance of youth - but what if it could actually be achieved at the cellular level? A collaboration of researchers from the United States and Australia might have done just that. A regular metabolic compound that has been administered to mice has been shown to not just boost muscle function, but actually reverse the affects of aging. The research was led by David Sinclair of the University of New South Wales and the results have been published in the journal Cell.

A normal part of human aging involves senescence, which is a general wearing out of the body over time. Muscles begin to lose tone and become inflamed over time, and they also can develop insulin resistance. Without being able to use insulin, the cells aren’t able to uptake the glucose needed for activity. These problems contribute to why many elderly people have trouble getting around and athletes aren’t able to sustain certain levels of activity as they age.

A regular metabolic coenzyme known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) was administered to mice in hopes that it would slow the aging of skeletal muscle. The researchers were shocked to find that it didn’t slow aging; it dramatically reversed it. In under a week, the mice who had previously been suffering from a variety of age-related impairments experienced an increase in muscle tone, as if they had been exercising and following a healthy diet. In some regards, the compound acted like the proverbial fountain of youth.

The secret to reversing aging, as it turns out, is hidden in the mitochondria. In humans and most other species, mitochondrial DNA is passed down only by the mother. These genes are responsible for becoming the cellular powerhouse and generating ATP, which cells use for energy. The team discovered that, over time, genes from the mitochondrial genome stop interacting with genes from the nuclear genome. Administering NAD+ reverses this trend and encourages communication.

NAD+ is involved in redox reactions, which regulate electron transfer in metabolic processes. As the mice grew older and less active, their levels of NAD+ had basically been cut in half. By replenishing this critical compound in the mice, their muscles had been rejuvenated. The natural process that deteriorates skeletal muscle is the same one that affects the heart.

Human trials of NAD+ treatments will begin in 2014. If the results are anything like what was experienced by the mice, it will be the equivalent of a 60 year old having the fitness of a 20 year old. However, the treatments will not be cheap. In order to gather enough patients to do the study properly, millions of dollars will need to be raised. Though there is no telling how long it will be before this treatment hits the market, Dr. Sinclair has established a company to expedite the process if and when it is granted approval.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-me ... man-trials

Discuss.

If the hype surrounding this discovery has any substance you'd want to be careful - take an overdose and you'll be back to fetus before you know it.

[Pappa]

We definitely need more people to live a lot longer. Definitely. It's exactly what the planet needs.

Hopefully more people will start going with the "live fast, die young" philosophy to avoid having to work until they're 73 before they get a pension.

[mistermack]

Logically, they couldn't give it to everybody, because of over-population.
So you'd have to make rules about who could get it.

Obviously, if you've had a child, that would have to rule you out. Also, people in prison. You're not going to let them live longer, just to cost the public more money.
In any case, all of those people in America doing a hundred years for three strikes would have the last laugh. You can't have that.

The Welsh. No way could you give it to them. And the French. You definitely can't let the French live for ever. Imagine the smell.

I think they should just give it to pygmies. After all, they apparently have a life-expectancy of just seventeen, so just give it to them.

No, pygmies, and people with a rare blood group. But only if they agree to become donors for blood and bone marrow.

[pErvinalia]

Basically, only the rich would get it. ==> Riots.

[Cormac]

We definitely need more people to live a lot longer. Definitely. It's exactly what the planet needs.

It is alright. Reproduction will slow and then stop. Over the centuries, those of us that don't top ourselves due to the unending boredom will become Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time.

[FBM]

I don't want to live longer, I just want to be capable of wiping my own ass until the day I pop my last balloon. When the day comes that I can't do that, I'll be quite happy to assume room temperature.

[JimC]

I don't want to live longer, I just want to be capable of wiping my own ass until the day I pop my last balloon. When the day comes that I can't do that, I'll be quite happy to assume room temperature.

A dangerous assumption...

[rasetsu]

I can hardly wait.

[pErvinalia]

I'd actually want to do it, if I could be assured that all the arseholes in the world would be euthanased first. I wouldn't want to be stuck on this planet any longer than necessary with the current bunch of fuckwits on it.

But more seriously, this sort of technology is eventually going to happen, whether in the next 10 years or the next 50 years. What happens when some humans can live and function to 200 yrs or more? I predict total chaos and anarchy. We need to get off planet to mars or the moon so we can put some extra people there.

[NineBerry]

As I said it's either cutting off penises or killing a lot of people via wars.

[pErvinalia]

Yeah. Medical science is a wondrous thing. But there's a limit to how long we can prolong life and reduce natural causes of death. The planet will fill up. We really need to get some colonies off planet.