If there's one thing we don't need to do, it's keep rodents alive longer...oh, wait - we're testing on them to help try to reverse the aging process for you and me. Okay then, I approve!
Harvard Medical School geneticists have managed to partially reverse the physical degeneration that results from aging by controlling the telomerase gene. Pretend like you already know the telomerase enzyme maintains the protective caps called telomeres that shield the ends of chromosomes, and as we age lower levels can contribute to tissue degeneration. Scientists created mice with a telomerase switch, and then prematurely aged them to see what would happen if they reactivated telomerase production. The telomeres dramatically reversed many aspects of aging, including reversal of brain disease and infertility. Playing God can be fun and productive!
The animals showed no signs of developing cancer from the experiment, which can be a concern because cancer cells turn on telomerase enzymes to make themselves virtually immortal. Briefly switching it on could avoid fueling hidden cancers or cause new ones to develop. It also has potential for adult stem cells, to keep aging tissues viable or repair tissue damage from aging.
After a month the mice exhibited increased levels of telomerase and lengthened telomeres, both biological changes indicative of cells returning to a growth state, with reversal of tissue degeneration, and increase in size of the spleen, testes, and brain. More newborn nerve cells were observed, and the fatty myelin sheaths around nerve cells increased in diameter. In addition, the increase in telomerase revitalized slumbering brain stem cells so they could produce new neurons.
Functionally, the mice’s ability to avoid a certain area in a testing zone where they detected unpleasant odors that they associated with danger (such as scents of predators, rotten food, or Kardashians) had returned as olfactory nerve cells regenerated. And while it's a shitty job, they checked the animals’ testes, and found that mice that were essentially barren produced new sperm cells. Ultimately, the rodents’ life spans were extended compared to their untreated counterparts, though they did not live longer than normal mice.
Harvard Medical School geneticists have managed to partially reverse the physical degeneration that results from aging by controlling the telomerase gene. Pretend like you already know the telomerase enzyme maintains the protective caps called telomeres that shield the ends of chromosomes, and as we age lower levels can contribute to tissue degeneration. Scientists created mice with a telomerase switch, and then prematurely aged them to see what would happen if they reactivated telomerase production. The telomeres dramatically reversed many aspects of aging, including reversal of brain disease and infertility. Playing God can be fun and productive!
The animals showed no signs of developing cancer from the experiment, which can be a concern because cancer cells turn on telomerase enzymes to make themselves virtually immortal. Briefly switching it on could avoid fueling hidden cancers or cause new ones to develop. It also has potential for adult stem cells, to keep aging tissues viable or repair tissue damage from aging.
After a month the mice exhibited increased levels of telomerase and lengthened telomeres, both biological changes indicative of cells returning to a growth state, with reversal of tissue degeneration, and increase in size of the spleen, testes, and brain. More newborn nerve cells were observed, and the fatty myelin sheaths around nerve cells increased in diameter. In addition, the increase in telomerase revitalized slumbering brain stem cells so they could produce new neurons.
Functionally, the mice’s ability to avoid a certain area in a testing zone where they detected unpleasant odors that they associated with danger (such as scents of predators, rotten food, or Kardashians) had returned as olfactory nerve cells regenerated. And while it's a shitty job, they checked the animals’ testes, and found that mice that were essentially barren produced new sperm cells. Ultimately, the rodents’ life spans were extended compared to their untreated counterparts, though they did not live longer than normal mice.
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