Engineer Aubrey de Grey believes that decades of research into aging has shown that it is a curable condition. He says there are no more than seven reasons for what we know as biological aging.
The seven deadly aging causes are:
- Loss of cells/tissues.
- Mutations in cell nuclei that cause cancer
- Mutations in mitochondria
- Cells that won’t die
- Stiffening of tissues
- Junk accumulating outside of our cells
- Junk accumulating inside of our cells
Here is a review of the situation which Aubrey has summarized:
The aging process brings about a multitude of challenges within our bodies, yet only a select few can be attributed to primary changes in the body’s structural integrity – what we refer to as aging damage. Secondary alterations, such as heightened inflammation and oxidative stress, stem from these primary changes: either as a direct consequence of impaired components failing to fulfill their metabolic functions, or as the body’s adaptive responses to compensate for these shifts. By addressing, rectifying, replacing, or neutralizing this aging damage, we can reinstate the normal operations of our cellular structures and vital biomolecules, allowing secondary changes to revert to their youthful norms.
Over the years, scientists have diligently sought out these aging-related transformations within our bodies. This quest has led to a remarkably positive revelation – there exist no more than seven major categories of cellular and molecular damage associated with aging, as outlined in Table 1.
| Aging Damage | Discovery
|
SENS Solution
|
| Cell loss, tissue atrophy | 1955 | Stem cells and tissue engineering (“RepleniSENS”) |
| Nuclear [epi]mutations
(only cancer matters) |
1959, 1982 | Removal of telomere-lengthening Machinery (“OncoSENS”) |
| Mutant mitochondria | 1972 | Allotopic expression of 13 proteins (“MitoSENS”) |
| Death-resistant cells | 1965 | Targeted ablation (“ApoptoSENS”) |
| Tissue stiffening | 1958,
1981 |
AGE-breaking molecules (“GlycoSENS”); tissue engineering |
| Extracellular aggregates | 1907 | Immunotherapeutic clearance (“AmyloSENS”)
|
| Intracellular aggregates | 1959 | Novel lysosomal hydrolases (“LysoSENS”) |
While the precise metabolic pathways responsible for this damage remain somewhat elusive, our focus lies not in understanding every intricate detail but in our capacity to engineer solutions. The key lies in timely intervention – repairing the damage after its formation but before it accumulates to levels that impede our youthful functionality.
Even more encouraging is the fact that we possess the knowledge and means to address all forms of aging damage today. Each major aging lesion has a corresponding SENS solution for its elimination or repair either already in existence as a prototype or clearly foreseeable through current scientific advancements.
Thanks to the generous support of our donors and volunteers, the Methuselah Foundation is now funding scientific research in the areas that are currently the greatest bottlenecks to the achievement of this first wave of rejuvenation therapies, including projects in LysoSENS, MitoSENS, and OncoSENS. We have also just reached an agreement to launch a project in ApoptoSENS, and are working out a collaboration in GlycoSENS. With preliminary results from these projects proving exciting, and with greater funding coming onstream every day, the Methuselah Foundation is pushing forward to take on additional research projects. To support this critical SENS research, join the ranks of generous Methuselah Foundation donors and help us make this new rejuvenation science a reality. – MFOUNDATION
A lot of money has been raised by this group. We once joined the Methuselah Foundation Newsletter and are curious to keep up with the best things one can do for health and long life.
The Methuselah Foundation, a non-profit medical charity, is focused on extending the healthy human lifespan by making 90 the new 50 by 2030. They support research, projects, and prizes to accelerate breakthroughs in longevity[2]. Recently, the foundation launched a $1 million competition to stimulate the development of animal-free precision medicine. This initiative aims to replace unreliable animal research with more precise test technology to speed up the development of effective new drugs and therapies[4].
Additionally, the Methuselah Foundation unveiled the ELONgevity Protection Project to support human longevity initiatives and provide access to promising experimental therapies. This project aims to extend lives by actively working to get terminally ill members enrolled in scientifically promising experimental therapies, including appropriate clinical trials. The initiative operates a Clearing House that locates medical teams creating experimental treatments or programs offering terminally diagnosed members a chance of successful application[5].
Citations
[1] https://www.mfoundation.org/news
[2] https://www.mfoundation.org
[3] https://twitter.com/mfoundation?lang=en
[4] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/methuselah-foundation-launches-1-million-competition-to-stimulate-development-of-animal-free-precision-medicine-301628211.html
[5] https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/methuselah-foundation-unveils-elongevity-protection-to-support-human-longevity-initiatives-provide-access-to-promising-experimental-therapies-862690373.html
