News – longevity.ch

Study: Metformin as a Tool to Target Aging

Over the past decades, remarkable progress has occurred in the science of aging in model organisms. Studies have demonstrated that genetic pathways modulate healthy lifespan in diverse species across great evolutionary distance and established that aging-related pathways constitute a target for intervention (Barzilai et al., 2012, Longo et al., 2015). Lifespan has been verifiably modulated by genetic, pharmacologic, and dietary interventions in multiple model systems.

Interventions that target aging pathways are capable of dramatically extending lifespan and, most importantly, health span, the period of life during which an individual is fully functional and free of chronic illness. Continue reading “Study: Metformin as a Tool to Target Aging”

Longevity activists call to support the investigation of drugs against aging

The International Longevity Alliance, a non-profit international organization with its headquarters in Paris, announces the launch of its crowdfunding campaign, in support of The Major Mouse Testing Program (MMTP): an ambitious research project to investigate healthy longevity therapies in mice. The project aims to test a number of compounds and their combinations, that are expected to slow down aging processes and postpone the manifestation of age-related diseases. Each stage of the project will require relatively small funding, from $60 to $100 thousand, but could have a major impact on the development of new therapies to slow down aging in humans. The first stage of fundraising will launch in May 2016, and will be hosted on the Lifespan.io crowdfunding platform, dedicated to helping researchers who study aging and longevity. Continue reading “Longevity activists call to support the investigation of drugs against aging”

Destroying worn-out cells makes mice live longer: Elegant experiment confirms that targeting senescent cells could treat age-related diseases

Eliminating worn-out cells extends the healthy lives of lab mice — an indication that treatments aimed at killing off these cells, or blocking their effects, might also help to combat age-related diseases in humans.

As animals age, cells that are no longer able to divide — called senescent cells — accrue all over their bodies, releasing molecules that can harm nearby tissues. Senescent cells are linked to diseases of old age, such as kidney failure and type 2 diabetes.

To test the cells’ role in ageing, Darren Baker and Jan van Deursen, molecular biologists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and their colleagues engineered mice so that their senescent cells would die off when the rodents were injected with a drug.

The work involved sophisticated genetic tinkering and extensive physiological testing, but the concept has an elegant simplicity to it. “We think these cells are bad when they accumulate. We remove them and see the consequences,” says Baker. “That’s how I try to explain it to my kids.” Continue reading “Destroying worn-out cells makes mice live longer: Elegant experiment confirms that targeting senescent cells could treat age-related diseases”

Davos 2016 – What If: You Are Still Alive in 2100?

Join an in-depth discussion that explores the possible, plausible and probable impacts of significantly extended lifespans.

From reversing the effects of ageing on the brain and editing genetic diseases to artificial intelligence and downloading thoughts and memories, scientists are pushing the boundaries of the human lifespan. What would be the impact on life, love and work if you could live to 150 (or forever)?

Elizabeth Blackburn, Professor, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Thomas DeRosa, Chief Executive Officer, Welltower, USA.
Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School, United Kingdom.
Derek Yach, Chief Health Officer, Vitality, USA.

Moderated by Nancy Gibbs, Managing Editor, Time Magazine, USA.

Human Enhancement and the Law conference on 7/8th January 2016 (Oxford, UK)

The increasing production and use of what can broadly be categorised as ‘human enhancement technologies’ is creating challenges for existing legal frameworks.

This conference and resulting special edition of the Journal of Law, Information and Science, will aim to identify the legal issues that arise as a result of these developments in human enhancement technologies.

During this conference, Didier Coeurnelle, member of the board of the ILA, will speak about “The Right to (Radical) Life Extension Considered a Human Right”

Marcelo de Araujo will apporach “The ethics of editing the human genome with CRISPR-Cas9”

More information about the conference: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/research-and-subject-groups/neurolaw-project/human-enhancement-and-law-regulating-future

Program of the conference: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/field/field_document/schedule_-_preliminary_draft.pdf

Mark Zuckerberg: A letter to our daughter

Dear Max,

Your mother and I don’t yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You’ve already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.

Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.

While headlines often focus on what’s wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today. Continue reading “Mark Zuckerberg: A letter to our daughter”

World’s first anti-ageing drug could see humans live to 120

Scientists believe the common diabetes drug metformin could hold the secret of long life and want to start a groundbreaking human trial in 2016.

The world’s first anti-ageing drug will be tested on humans next year in trials which could see diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s consigned to distant memory.

Scientists now believe that it is possible to actually stop people growing old as quickly and help them live in good health well into their 110s and 120s. Continue reading “World’s first anti-ageing drug could see humans live to 120”