Category Archives: Human Longevity

Why I am Studying HUMAN Longevity
This video conveys the inspiration behind why I am seeking the recipe for human longevity, and not trying to model my health after gorillas or some of our ea...

By: Kendelyn Lane

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Why I am Studying HUMAN Longevity - Video

Introduction to Longevity Series
A quick and simple video outlining how I will present the longevity information. I also include information and links to some resources that are helpful on y...

By: Kendelyn Lane

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Introduction to Longevity Series - Video

WOLF GREENFIELD WEBCAST: CRISPR/Cas-9 and the IP Landscape for a Revolutionary New Technol
J. Craig Venter, the man who helped map the human genome, is at it again. This time, the goal is to add decades onto everybody #39;s lives. J. Craig Venter, the ...

By: WorldNews

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WOLF GREENFIELD WEBCAST: CRISPR/Cas-9 and the IP Landscape for a Revolutionary New Technol - Video

Stuart Kim, "How and Why We Age"
Watch, learn and connect: https://stanfordconnects.stanford.edu/ By studying supercentenarians, humans living 110 years or more, researchers hope to learn the secrets to longevity. Professor...

By: Stanford Alumni

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Stuart Kim, "How and Why We Age" - Video

"The goal is to promote healthy aging": Dr J. Craig Venter. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

J. Craig Venter, the man who raced the US government to sequence the first human genome, has a new goal: help everyone live to 100, in good health.

"Our goal is to make 100-years-old the new 60," said Peter Diamandis, who co-founded with Venter a company that aims to scan the DNA of as many as 100,000 people a year to create a massive database that will lead to new tests and therapies to help extend healthy human life spans.

Human Longevity will use machines from Illumina, which has a stake in the company, to decode the DNA of people from children to centenarians. San Diego-based Human Longevity will compile the information into a database that will include information on both the genome and the microbiome, the microbes that live in our gut. The aim is to help researchers understand and address diseases associated with age-related decline.

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The company, with $US70 million ($78.3 million) in initial funding, will focus first on cancer, according to a statement.

"We are setting up the world's largest human genome sequencing facility," said Venter, who led a private team that sequenced one of the first two human genomes more than a decade ago. "The goal is to promote healthy aging using advanced genomics and stem cell therapy."

Venter started the closely held company with Diamandis, the X Prize Foundation chairman, and stem cell researcher Robert Hariri. Hariri is founder and chief scientific officer of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, a unit of Celgene, which is working on stem cell treatments.

Improved machines

The speed and accuracy of DNA-scanning machines increased to the point that for the first time makes massive clinically oriented sequencing efforts possible, Venter said.

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100 is the new 60: company aims to help increase healthy human lifespan

Since the dawn of civilization people were searching for clues to longevity and trying to extend human lifespan. But only in the past two decades with the advances in genetic sequencing, epigenetic analysis, and increased government investments the area experienced rapid expansion in the knowledge base, allowing scientists to develop comprehensive models and theories of aging. And while there is still much disagreement among scientists, the evolutionary theories are dominating the field. These theories predicted existence of certain genes that provide selective advantage early in life with adverse effects on lifespan later in life or longevity insurance genes. Indeed, the study of human and animal genetics is gradually identifying new genes that increase lifespan when overexpressed or mutated -- gerontogenes. Furthermore, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms are being identified that have positive effects on longevity.

"The study of the effects of mutations and epimutations on life expectancy and the aging rate expands the range of potential pharmacological and genoteraputic targets, as well as biomarkers of treatment of aging-dependent pathologies," said professor Alexey Moskalev, PhD, DSc, head of the laboratories for aging research at the Institute of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

The international group of scientists performed a comprehensive analysis of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and demonstrated that the majority of the genes, as well as genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are involved in regulation of longevity, are highly interconnected and related to stress response. Also, for the first time, the group performed a comprehensive analysis of government research grants related to the genes involved in aging. One of the tools that may help understand the direction of scientific research that is still unpublished are research grant abstracts. To better understand the general trends in aging genetics, the funding and citation information for the longevity genes was collected using the International Aging Research Portfolio (IARP) system as well as the NCBI PubMed system.

Grants analysis led to interesting conclusions. The science of aging genetics is a comparatively new field. P53 was discovered in 1979 and implicated in aging in 1987. On average, genes in Table 2 were discovered 21 years ago and it took 9.7 years between the first citation and the first citation with "aging." The approximate amount of funding spent on genes related to aging is at over $8.5 billion with over 195,000 citations with the most funding spent on genes involved in stress response. On average approximately 7.4% of the funding was spent on projects with "aging" in the grant application and this was consistent across all three categories. The average amount of funding per citation was over $43,900. The largest amount of funding spent on a single gene with "aging" in the grant abstract was $195 million, which represents fewer than 5% of the total funding spent on P53 research. SIRT1 and homologs is the only gene with over $100 million spent on analyzing its role in aging with just under 14% of the funding spent on non-aging related projects. Most of the genes related to aging and longevity were associated with other biologic processes, and most of the funding and publications citing these genes is related to areas other than aging.

"While most scientists rely on published research data and scientific conferences to follow the advances their areas of research, the vast amount of knowledge is codified in the published research grant abstracts and associated metadata. A comprehensive analysis of government grants and related publications shows that aging research is an emerging field and that only a minor fraction of the research dollars spent on genes implicated in aging and longevity was actually intended for aging research," said professor Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, director of the Biogerontology Research Foundation, UK.

The team also performed the signaling pathway analysis of the genes implicated in aging and longevity and demonstrated that that most of the gerontogenes are members of the stress response pathways that confirm the existence of genetics "longevity program." As a rule, genes -- regulators of longevity program -- suppress mild stress response and mutations that make some of those pathways less efficient and provide life-extension benefits. Mild overexpression of effector longevity genes, involved with stress-response to DNA, protein, or other cellular damages, prolong lifespan. While moderate stress induces "longevity program" by stimulating expression of life assurance genes and promoting prevention or elimination of errors, including the novel and spontaneous ones, chronic or acute stress exposure exhausts the defense mechanisms and therefore accelerates aging. Pro-aging and anti-aging gene-determined processes exist on all levels of organismal system -- from molecules to systems (metabolic, endocrine, immune, and inter-cellular communication). Their multi-level organization, the interpenetration of levels, a combination of regular and stochastic elements, is what makes the process of aging a fractal process.

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The above story is based on materials provided by Landes Bioscience. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Drilling into trends in genetics, epigenetics of aging, longevity

Some people die at 60, and they bury them at 90, fitness legend Jack LaLanne said, referring to the infirmities of many elderly.

As Americans live longer, quality-of-life, not just longevity, becomes more important. Thats why San Diego geneticist J. Craig Venter and his partners founded Human Longevity Inc., to uncover genes that cause disease and illness, thus allowing people to live longer, healthier lives.

Senior health will become an even larger issue in the country than it is already, with enormous economic effects. Americans 65 and over numbered 41.4 million in 2011; theyre projected to increase to 79.7 million in 2040. The 85-and-over population is projected to increase from 5.7 million in 2011 to 14.1 million in 2040. There are 55,000 Americans over 100.

While advances in science hold incredible promise, an ancient method exists that is proven to increase longevity and quality of life: exercise.

Physical exercise is the answer to longevity, said Stanford professor Dr. Walter M. Bortz, author of Dare to be 100. Bortz turned 84 last week.

LaLanne died in 2011 at 96. He was still running his business empire of books, DVDs, juicers and a website. Thats now handled by his wife, Elaine, who at 88 exercises daily and can still do mens-style push-ups. Indeed, lets make 90 todays 60.

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Living longer and better

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Mar-2014

Contact: Andrew Thompson andrew@landesbioscience.com Landes Bioscience

Since the dawn of civilization people were searching for clues to longevity and trying to extend human lifespan. But only in the past two decades with the advances in genetic sequencing, epigenetic analysis, and increased government investments the area experienced rapid expansion in the knowledge base, allowing scientists to develop comprehensive models and theories of aging. And while there is still much disagreement among scientists, the evolutionary theories are dominating the field. These theories predicted existence of certain genes that provide selective advantage early in life with adverse effects on lifespan later in life or longevity insurance genes. Indeed, the study of human and animal genetics is gradually identifying new genes that increase lifespan when overexpressed or mutatedgerontogenes. Furthermore, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms are being identified that have positive effects on longevity.

"The study of the effects of mutations and epimutations on life expectancy and the aging rate expands the range of potential pharmacological and genoteraputic targets, as well as biomarkers of treatment of aging-dependent pathologies," said professor Alexey Moskalev, PhD, DSc, head of the laboratories for aging research at the Institute of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

The international group of scientists performed a comprehensive analysis of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and demonstrated that the majority of the genes, as well as genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are involved in regulation of longevity, are highly interconnected and related to stress response. Also, for the first time, the group performed a comprehensive analysis of government research grants related to the genes involved in aging. One of the tools that may help understand the direction of scientific research that is still unpublished are research grant abstracts. To better understand the general trends in aging genetics, the funding and citation information for the longevity genes was collected using the International Aging Research Portfolio (IARP) system as well as the NCBI PubMed system.

Grants analysis led to interesting conclusions. The science of aging genetics is a comparatively new field. P53 was discovered in 1979 and implicated in aging in 1987. On average, genes in Table 2 were discovered 21 years ago and it took 9.7 years between the first citation and the first citation with "aging." The approximate amount of funding spent on genes related to aging is at over $8.5 billion with over 195,000 citations with the most funding spent on genes involved in stress response. On average approximately 7.4% of the funding was spent on projects with "aging" in the grant application and this was consistent across all three categories. The average amount of funding per citation was over $43,900. The largest amount of funding spent on a single gene with "aging" in the grant abstract was $195 million, which represents fewer than 5% of the total funding spent on P53 research. SIRT1 and homologs is the only gene with over $100 million spent on analyzing its role in aging with just under 14% of the funding spent on non-aging related projects. Most of the genes related to aging and longevity were associated with other biologic processes, and most of the funding and publications citing these genes is related to areas other than aging.

"While most scientists rely on published research data and scientific conferences to follow the advances their areas of research, the vast amount of knowledge is codified in the published research grant abstracts and associated metadata. A comprehensive analysis of government grants and related publications shows that aging research is an emerging field and that only a minor fraction of the research dollars spent on genes implicated in aging and longevity was actually intended for aging research," said professor Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, director of the Biogerontology Research Foundation, UK.

The team also performed the signaling pathway analysis of the genes implicated in aging and longevity and demonstrated that that most of the gerontogenes are members of the stress response pathways that confirm the existence of genetics "longevity program." As a rule, genesregulators of longevity programsuppress mild stress response and mutations that make some of those pathways less efficient and provide life-extension benefits. Mild overexpression of effector longevity genes, involved with stress-response to DNA, protein, or other cellular damages, prolong lifespan. While moderate stress induces "longevity program" by stimulating expression of life assurance genes and promoting prevention or elimination of errors, including the novel and spontaneous ones, chronic or acute stress exposure exhausts the defense mechanisms and therefore accelerates aging. Pro-aging and anti-aging gene-determined processes exist on all levels of organismal systemfrom molecules to systems (metabolic, endocrine, immune, and inter-cellular communication). Their multi-level organization, the interpenetration of levels, a combination of regular and stochastic elements, is what makes the process of aging a fractal process.

The results of the study will be published Open Access in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Cell Cycle, available at https://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/cc/article/28433/.

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Drilling into the trends in genetics and epigenetics of aging and longevity

Does human growth hormone have antiaging powers? Or does it contribute to heightened cancer risk and earlier death? The complex science in the area suggests the answer is yes to both.

Growth hormone, a biochemical that helps stimulate cell growth and division, is given to children and teens with low natural supplies to increase their growth. Increasingly, healthy older individuals also are taking it to improve the appearance of skin, increase muscle tone and for other purported benefits.

Taking growth hormone for antiaging purposes is hugely controversial in the medical community but nonetheless appears to be gaining popularity in parts of the world. The global market for human growth hormone, or HGH, will reach an estimated $4.7 billion by 2018, up from $3.5 billion in 2011, according to Global Industry Analysts Inc., a market research firm.

New studies published this year, however, offer the strongest indication yet that lower levels of a compound related to growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, are related to longevity and lower risk of cancer as people reach old age.

"These studies suggest that growth hormone for healthy aging might not be a good idea," says Nir Barzilai, an endocrinologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City who published one of the papers in the journal Aging Cell in February.

That levels of testosterone, estrogen, growth hormone and other biological chemicals fall with age is well known among medical professionals. But whether replacing or supplementing hormones is good for the health of an aging individual is a complex question.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.

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Synthetic human growth hormones may not help healthy aging

Will Human Longevity Incorporated Help Stop Human Aging?
Human Longevity Incorporated is a relatively new company. They might help stop human aging. It appears to be a for profit company. The SENS Research Foundati...

By: Michael Ten

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Will Human Longevity Incorporated Help Stop Human Aging? - Video