- #1
Marco12
- 21
- 0
Harvard scientist claims to reverse aging in mice wow
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion centers around a claim made by researchers regarding the reversal of aging in mice through the manipulation of telomerase activity. Participants explore the implications of this research for understanding aging, particularly in humans, and the potential risks associated with telomerase reactivation.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- Some participants highlight that the claim of reversing aging may be misleading, as the study primarily demonstrates the reversal of symptoms associated with telomere erosion in mice rather than aging itself.
- It is noted that telomere erosion is linked to various symptoms of aging in mice, but the significance of telomere erosion in human aging remains uncertain.
- One participant suggests that if telomere erosion is a significant factor in human aging, the findings could lead to potential therapies, although current techniques for telomerase reactivation in mice may not be applicable to humans.
- Another participant raises a concern that enhancing telomerase activity could also promote cancer progression.
- A later reply references a fictional scenario from Star Trek, drawing a parallel between the potential dangers of manipulating aging processes and unintended consequences.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the implications of telomere erosion for aging in humans, with no consensus on its significance or the potential for therapeutic applications. Concerns about the relationship between telomerase activity and cancer progression are also noted, indicating a contested area of discussion.
Contextual Notes
Participants acknowledge the limitations in understanding the role of telomere erosion in human aging and the challenges in translating findings from mouse models to human therapies.
- #2
- 3,753
- 4,198
Here's the http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature09603 to the actual study, published in the journal Nature.
The claim of reversing aging is not really correct. The researchers created mice where they could turn the activity of an enzyme, telomerase, on or off. Telomerase is an enzyme that is important in maintaining the ends of chromosomes (called telomeres), which gradually erode as the cell divides. Mice that lack telomerase activity have eroded telomeres and show certain symptoms, such as damage to their internal organs, shrinking of brain tissue, and loss of vigor, that seem to match some of the symptoms of aging. The question is, are these symptoms of eroded telomeres permanent or will restoring the telomeres to their normal length reverse these symptoms?
To answer this question the used their mice that contained the on/off switch to control telomerase activity. They switched telomerase off to generate mice showing symptoms of telomere erosion. When they switched telomerase on again, these symptoms disappeared. Thus, this study shows that the symptoms of telomere erosion can be reversed by the activity of the telomerase enzyme (a result that is not so surprising, but useful to prove experimentally).
What significance does this have to aging in humans? It's not clear how much telomere erosion contributes to aging in humans. If telomere erosion is a major cause of aging in humans, then this work could potentially lead to therapies to reverse aging in humans (however, the techniques they use to reactivate telomerase would not work in humans, so we'd need to find new ways to increase telomerase activity in humans). However, if telomere erosion is not a major cause of aging in humans, this work may not provide such a good "cure" for aging. Although I'm not an expert in the area, I don't think that telomere erosion is the most important factor in aging, though it may play some small role. Likely, if we are to come up with some therapy to reverse aging, telomerase reactivation would be one small part of a multi-faceted approach that targets many different causes of aging.
The claim of reversing aging is not really correct. The researchers created mice where they could turn the activity of an enzyme, telomerase, on or off. Telomerase is an enzyme that is important in maintaining the ends of chromosomes (called telomeres), which gradually erode as the cell divides. Mice that lack telomerase activity have eroded telomeres and show certain symptoms, such as damage to their internal organs, shrinking of brain tissue, and loss of vigor, that seem to match some of the symptoms of aging. The question is, are these symptoms of eroded telomeres permanent or will restoring the telomeres to their normal length reverse these symptoms?
To answer this question the used their mice that contained the on/off switch to control telomerase activity. They switched telomerase off to generate mice showing symptoms of telomere erosion. When they switched telomerase on again, these symptoms disappeared. Thus, this study shows that the symptoms of telomere erosion can be reversed by the activity of the telomerase enzyme (a result that is not so surprising, but useful to prove experimentally).
What significance does this have to aging in humans? It's not clear how much telomere erosion contributes to aging in humans. If telomere erosion is a major cause of aging in humans, then this work could potentially lead to therapies to reverse aging in humans (however, the techniques they use to reactivate telomerase would not work in humans, so we'd need to find new ways to increase telomerase activity in humans). However, if telomere erosion is not a major cause of aging in humans, this work may not provide such a good "cure" for aging. Although I'm not an expert in the area, I don't think that telomere erosion is the most important factor in aging, though it may play some small role. Likely, if we are to come up with some therapy to reverse aging, telomerase reactivation would be one small part of a multi-faceted approach that targets many different causes of aging.
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- #3
Jack the Stri
- 39
- 0
Maybe also useful to note that it enhances cancer progression.
- #4
stevenb
- 701
- 6
Jack the Stri said:
Reminds me of that old original Star Trek episode where people were trying to develop a virus that would slow aging. It worked on children, but killed adults and yougsters as they entered puberty. Of course, the virus spread to the world population and triggered an apocalypse.
I love irony.
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