Sign in for recommendations. New member? Start here.

Scientists identify new longevity genes

kimincalifornia rated 6 months agoFeatured Review
Genes To Slow Aging "Scientists at the University of Washington and other institutions have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change. At least 15 of those genes have very similar versions in humans, suggesting that s...

Do you like this page from eurekalert.org? Yes, I like it

Tell us what you like and we will show you more pages like it with our recommendation engine.

1 Reviews

Characters left: 4000


kimincalifornia rated 6 months ago
Genes To Slow Aging "Scientists at the University of Washington and other institutions have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change. At least 15 of those genes have very similar versions in humans, suggesting that scientists may be able to target those genes to help slow down the aging process and treat age-related conditions. The study will be published online by the journal Genome Research on March 13. The two organisms used in this study, the single-celled budding yeast and the roundworm C. elegans, are commonly used models for aging research. Finding genes that are conserved between the two organisms is significant, researchers say, because the two species are so far apart on the evolutionary scale -- even farther apart than the tiny worms and humans. That, combined with the presence of similar human genes, is an indication that these genes could regulate human longevity as well." Very interesting. Understanding and tweaking genes related to longevity will no-doubt be effective in healthfully extending the human lifespan. Although, I still think an engineering approach to aging, such as the SENS approach, would be even more effective in the long run. See: http://www.mfoundation.org/sens for information on that.