Cell Regeneration

NeedBioInfo · Sep 15, 2005

People are trying to make us live a really really long amount of time by perfecting cell regeneration right?

I was just wondering,
thanks

Artermis · Sep 15, 2005

Not really cell regeneration but more along the lines of cell preservation... As you grow older your cells actually weaken, they don't produce as fast, they aren't as receptive, they metaphorically fade out - which is a cause for diseases directly related to age such as cancer and Alzheimers.

JamesU · Sep 15, 2005

WHat do you mean by cell regeneration

BTW- Artemis, I don't get your sig.

NeedBioInfo · Sep 16, 2005

I mean, how long could we live for if all our cells could be/were preserved/replaced perfectly (like 100% preserved/healthy)

Thanks

JamesU · Sep 16, 2005

probably a little longer. Alot of aging is caused by improper protein production, (caused by emotion (depressed, sad)). for instance, if you were depressed, your cells would only have receptor sites for the specific amino peptides that make you feel depression. You would become depressed over time, and your cells would produce eccesive amounts of only a certain protein. for instance: when you get old, your skin becomes elastic, and elastin is a protein.

(please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm only learning)

NeedBioInfo · Sep 17, 2005

Well if you could make the cells essentially replace themselves (whenever/wherever necessary to achieve the indefinite lifespan or whatever) by connecting up to other cells could you live an indefinite lifespan?

iansmith · Sep 17, 2005

Not likely. Connecting cells will not solve the problem.

The problem with aging is that your cells stop dividing at some point, hence the degeneration process. So the idea behind anti-aging therapy is to make cell divide infinetly but control the cell division (i.e. have a control cell death mechanism). For example, cancer cells divide infinetly but it is in uncontrolled matter. The cells are immortal and do not respond to control cell death signals.

NeedBioInfo · Sep 17, 2005

But if you take on cell- and have connect up to another (Healthy, young, not old) cell to make the two cells become one- wouldn't the new cell continue dividing, (Despite the part of it that's an unhealthy cell) since it would have the healthy cell in it?

I mean hypothetically. Sorry if they didn't make any sense

I mean I was talking about having unhealthy cells replace themselves with healthy (Foreign?) cells of the same type by connecting up to them (By unhealthy cells I mean cells that would/have stopped dividing at some point)

NeedBioInfo · Sep 17, 2005

I mean um

Are there any circumstances where you could make a cell merge with or absorb another cell? (Eg with genetic engineering)

JamesU · Sep 17, 2005

no, The only way a cell could absorb another cell is through endocytosis, but they would not merge. and it would be a eukaryotic cell taking in a prokaryotic cell. (white blood cell eating bacterium)

NeedBioInfo · Sep 17, 2005

So could you for example.....destroy unhealthy cells in a person and inject (or something) healthy cells into them so that they live longer?

JamesU · Sep 18, 2005

Ever heard of stem cells?

NeedBioInfo · Sep 18, 2005

The stem cells are ones that are bodies won't reject right?
So the key is to get cells that are bodies won't reject?

JamesU · Sep 18, 2005

ste cells are cells that do not have a particular function (i.e. bone cell, skin cell) they are like blank cells. scientists want to use stem cells to replace old dead ones, because they can take on the function of their surrounding cells.

NeedBioInfo · Sep 18, 2005

What would be wrong with using cells that have particular functions though?

JamesU · Sep 18, 2005

the body will reject them because they are alien cells, not from that body. I suppose that might happen w/ stem cells..I don't know...

NeedBioInfo · Sep 18, 2005

So if you had cells from like, cloned embryos or adult clones (I'm pretty sure that cloning humans is impossible well I think they can clone embryos but not bring the embryos to term) you could use those in place of stem cells? What's the current problem with stem cells?
Thanks

JamesU · Sep 18, 2005

I'm not sure about the coning question. ask a biologist. The problem with stem cells is that too many people are against getting stem cells from aborted fetuses an mother's wombs. they would work fine, but nobody wants to continue the research

NeedBioInfo · Sep 18, 2005

But they wouldn't work fine unless the research was continued and more answers/information was found right?

JamesU · Sep 18, 2005

I'm not sure, I don't know too much about it.