Living To 150 » Cutting Edge

TA-65 – Supplement Of The Moment

Malc — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:39:00 +0000

TA-65 is a ’supplement’ extracted from the herb Astragalus which repairs the telomere – the straggly bits at the end of our DNA wich get shorted each time our cells divide. This process – the reducing of telomere length – eventually kills us off at the age of a maximum of 120. In other words, if we were healthy enough that nothing else killed us off, the shrinking of the telomere would do so at this age.

Well, companies are now finding out how to repair the telomere. And it is resulting in increasing health and wellbeing for hundreds of people. The leader in the field is TA Sciences, who licensed the research from Geron, a leading Californian anti-aging company, who discovered it. A study showed wide-ranging anti-aging benefits – in vision, skin condition, stamina and energy and sexual function. TA Sciences make TA-65 available to all employees over 40 years old.

The downside? There are no long term studies on it yet, so its long term effects are not known.

It is certainly an interesting one though – let’s face it, if you are 10-20 years from likely death anyway – what can you lose trying such a therapy – which at present looks pretty safe?

This blog is worth checking out for anti-aging information on TA-65. And Al Sears – anti-aging doctor and specialist – has a DVD on the topic which you can buy.

TA-65, Astragalus, telomere

TA-65 – Supplement Of The Moment is a post from: Living To 150

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Stem Cells Grow Windpipe for 10-Year Old

Malc — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:22:25 +0000

This is an incredible transplant story.
Two years ago an Italian woman had part of her windpipe replaced using a transplant plus her own stem cells, after the windpipe had been eaten away by tuberculosis.
Last week a much more advanced operation was carried out on a 10-year old boy who had a congenitally narrowed windpipe; a new windpipe was grown for him – inside his own body.
The boy was having difficulties after a stent – a metal tube – was starting to malfunction. Once the new windpipe was introduced, the boy could already breath more easily than he ever had after just a few days.
How does it work? At present, a donor was needed for the ’scaffolding’ of the windpipe. All the donor tissue is removed from the cartilaginous framework so that there is no rejection by the recipient. The windpipe was then transplanted together with a cocktail of ‘growth factors’ as well as about 30ml of the boys own stem cells – previously harvested. The body does the rest.
This is a very positve use of stem cells – and this boy and his family must be extremely happy.

BBC News – Windpipe transplant success in UK child

stem cells, windpipe, transplant

Stem Cells Grow Windpipe for 10-Year Old is a post from: Living To 150

Ray Kurzweil – Why The Future Is Coming Much Faster

Malc — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:29:32 +0000

Ray Kurzweil says that scientific advances are happening faster and faster. He points out that whereas evolutionary changes used to be very slow, it is in their nature to accelerate. Ten years ago hardly anyone used search engines! Ten months ago hardly anyone used Twitter!

These accelerating changes will make for more dramatic changes in the next few decades than most of us can imagine. With Kurzweil’s help, we can get a flavour of what these changes will mean for us.

As always, this interview with Ray Kurzweil is fascinating.

Cutting Edge Hand for Amputees

Malc — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:18:51 +0000

People who have been unfortunate enough to lose fingers or even a whole hand can now get a cutting edge prosthetic hand.

Scottish company Touch Bionics has designed and produced the first artificial hand on which all fingers and the thumb move independently. Touch Bionic’s hand is powered by five motors: other prosthetic hands generally use only two. This give the user much, much more freedom and possibility.

Once fitted, the hand (or fingers) can be used immediately: though delicate operations take a while to master. A user said:

“I found the trick is not to think what I was trying to do. ” In other words, let it become automatic.

From a standing start two years ago, the company is likely to sell 500 hands this financial year, 60% of them in the USA. The cost there is around $20,000 (£14,000) before fitting costs.

Cutting Edge Hand for Amputees is a post from: Living To 150

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Walking Robot Reality

Malc — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:29:04 +0000

Gosh – this is fantastic! Shades of ‘I, Robot’ or ‘Surrogates’.

This beast really is walking! It can even recover from a push.

You can only imagine the futher progress in, say, 25 years. This is such a great time to be alive!

Walking Robot Reality is a post from: Living To 150

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Nanotech Rotor Created

Malc — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:22:06 +0000

A great step forward (if you can have one of those in nanotechnology) has been made in molecular machinery. A cog has been made out of atoms, and rotated clockwise and anti-clockwise.

This was created by fixing a ’stick’ like molecule onto the sides of a benzene ring, resulting in a 6-spoked cog. This was then rotated around the molecular fold occurring on a piece of gold.

This is a huge step forward, and an essential step, for molecular machines.

Now the method has been proved, more complex machines will be developed, enabling energy to be converted into work at the molecular level very efficiently.

Article

Nanotech Rotor Created is a post from: Living To 150

Method to Combat Genetic Disease

Free Longevity Book

Malc — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:33:40 +0000

This is a great ebook which does a good job of explaining where we are today with regard to healthy anti-aging strategies.

Best of all – it is completely free. David Kekich is doing all he can to publicize anti-aging, so is giving this book away. It’s a chunky tome – and packed full of information.

It tells you 7 steps to take to: “catch the emerging wave of medical breakthroughs…” for a healthy, extended life. I strongly recommend this book to help get you up to speed with the current state of anti-aging knowledge.

Also, follow author David Kekich on twitter @MaxLifeorg .

Free Longevity Book is a post from: Living To 150

Longevity Conference, November 2009

Malc — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:11:01 +0000

Gosh – I’d like to go to this – the Manhattan Beach Project, Los Angeles. It’s the conference I wanted to go to when I went to Convergence08 last November: because this on is focused specifically on longevity.

The field of longevity research is getting very exciting now. Aubrey de Grey is quoted as thinking there is a 50/50 chance of his living forever. Now, if a conservative scientist says that, you have to take note.

Unfortunately, I cannot go – I have things booked for November and can’t get away. But it’s in the diary for next year.

Apparently there will be recordings of the speakers which can be watched for free.

“You’ll get to see all of the twenty minute presentations by world-leading researchers. Each one of the fifteen presenters will also answer up to ten minutes of questions.”

Sorry to miss it. The usual suspects – Aubrey de Grey and Ray Kurzweil – will be there (albeit Kurweil will be beamed in). The whole thing is hosted by David A Kekich and Greta Blackburn of Maximum Life Foundation, and sponsored by Life Extension Foundation. Should be very good.

Follow Maximum Life Foundation on Twitter @maxlifeorg .

Longevity Conference, November 2009 is a post from: Living To 150

Brain Does Not Shrink With Age

Malc — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:14:14 +0000

A new study suggests that, if healthy, the brain does not shrink – or shrinks little – with aging.

They conclude that because people with diseases which make the brain deteriorate have been included in past studies, the shrinking of the brain has been exagerated.

So… keep carrying out the brain-stretching exercises.

Sudoku, crosswords, meditation. And, of course thinking

Brain Does Not Shrink With Age is a post from: Living To 150

Method to Combat Genetic Disease

Malc — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:33:20 +0000

A method of ridding future generations of some serious inherited disease will soon be used on humans, scientists predict.

This method, called germline therapy, has been used successfully on monkeys. The work, carried out by the Oregan Health and Science University, has been published in the journal Nature. The method can be used for mothers undergoing IVF treatment. It involves a change in the DHA existing in the mitochondria – the energy production units of the cell. Being outside of the chromosomes, this therapy is permitted without the need for new legislation.

The types of diseases germline therapy could avoid include terribly debilitating diseases such as some cancer, nerve diseases, muscle diseases and diabetes.

The method involves ’splicing’ mitochondrial DNA from two female donors, fertilizing the resulting egg, and implanting it into the womb. The resulting child would no longer have the genetic material which caused the identified disease.

Of course this procedure raises ethical questions; however, the option of avoiding future serious disease for an individual makes it a procedure worthy of serious consideration and study.

Method to Combat Genetic Disease is a post from: Living To 150

A Computerized Brain Will Happen

Malc — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:04:38 +0000

Scientists in Switzerland have said they expect to have built a fully-functioning replica of a human brain by 2020.

This may be an optimistic timeframe but one thing is certain – it will happen.

In fact, there are several teams in the world aiming to model the brain with super-fast computers.The computer they are using is capable of copying the actions of the 100 billion neurons in the human brain.

Many scientists believe that once the brain is built, consciousness will follow. Emotions will be a natural by-product of the millions of chemical impulses flitting between the artificial ’synapses’ of the modelled brain.

This is the exact situation that Ray Kurzweil talks about in his book The Singularity is Near. In the book he predicts the continuing accelerating progress of both technology and science will mean a copy of the human brain is just a matter of time. And a short period of time at that.

This will raise moral issues: it the brain alive? Does it have rights? An our experiments torture? How do we define life?

There will be tough questions which the human race will deal with as it always has with changing circumstances. As best it can. And we have got through so far.

Question: Does having a computer equivalent to a human barin worry you? Or do you think we will cope OK one way or another? Post a comment.

A Computerized Brain Will Happen is a post from: Living To 150

New Stem Cell Methods

Malc — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:10:28 +0000

The concerns with stem cell research came about mainly for ethical and religious reasons. These have dampened down lately. President Obama’s policy change towards federal funding of stem cell research – effectively banned by his predecessor – has certainly stimulated interest in the field.

But one bright light on the horizon is the development of new methods of generating stem cells. These will not be taken from embryos.

The prime method is the use of so called ‘IPS’ cells – or induced pluripotent stem cells.

These were first produced in Japan in 2007. The ‘magical’ thing about them is that they are made by taking cells which are already specialized and turning back the clock – turning them into an embyonic state. This is done by adding some chemicals – such as genes – to them.

For many of the religious this is completely acceptable to their faith; and scientists are happy too – because they can always use a person’s own cells to make their new organ or whatever – and there will therefore be no immune system rejection of the new tissues.

Research into IPS cells is still at an early stage, compared to embryonic stem cells; so embryonic stem cell work will continue for now. But once IPS cells are better understood, their use will surely predominate if not take over.

New Stem Cell Methods is a post from: Living To 150

California – Stem Cell Research

Malc — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:02:55 +0000

Continuing on from the last post praising California for voting through $3bn of research money for stem cells, the progress in stem cell research has been stunning.

The first embryonic stem cells were extracted from human embryos only ten years ago. Already, Geron, a pioneer in stem cell work, has developed its research fast enough to be embarking on a trial of its latest treatment; treating patients with recently damaged spinal cords with stem cells. To carry out the development and get the approvals needed this progress is truly spectacular.

Just behind this trial is another in London for a stem cell treatment for macular degeneration – which currently leads to blindness. Approval for the trial is expected in two years.

Widespread commerial application of stem cell research will take, realistically, 20 years says a pioneer in the field. That is still very quick in terms of medical research.

California – Stem Cell Research is a post from: Living To 150

California Boosts Stem Cell Research

Malc — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:30:09 +0000

Thanks to the residents of California, stem cell research has received a huge boost.

Stem cell research is a cornerstone of the huge leap forward we will make in medicine over the next 30 years. We have already seen fantastic advances harnessed to treat broken backs, damaged vision, deafness, heart disease and advanced TB. All these would have been hopeless cases before stem cells were used in research.

These advances are but a small hint of what is to come.

Within a generation, growing major organs from our own stem cells will be routine. These ‘replacement parts’ will not be rejected as ‘not us’ by our immune systems. This means a person will not need to live on immuno-suppressant drugs for the rest of their lives following a transplant.

This does not mean a plantet of ‘walking wounded’. A healthy person who has to have a transplant – perhaps for genetic causes – will again become a healthy person. Perhaps even healthier.

Healing previously impossible ailments will also become routine – as with the spinal cord repairs which are now undergoing trials.

A large part of the progress in stem cell research has been thanks to the Californian people voting in a referendum to fund stem cell research. The state is unable to overturn this vote, so the bad economic situation has not affected the funding.

The referendum was in 2004, following which the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established. $1bn (£600m) has been committed to research, building labs and setting up infrastructure.

The Californian stem cell research programme is the biggest in the world, follow by New York’s programme.

California Boosts Stem Cell Research is a post from: Living To 150

Blindness – Stem Cells Speed Cure

Malc — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:29:05 +0000

Millions of people facing blindness because of AMD (age-related macular degeneration) will receive respite thanks to UK stem cell research. The collaboration between world-famous Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College, both London based, will see a 45 minutes operation which is expected to enable surgeons to ‘patch ‘ the damage caused by the disease.

The treatment has a good chance of being as successful and common place as cataract surgery by around 2015.

In the UK about 25% of the population over 65 are affected by AMD, so this treatment will benefit many people. About half a million suffer from AMD at the moment in the UK.

Stem Cell Ethics Question

The treatment is controversial because it used embryonic stem cells – raising the questions of stem cell ethics. However, the huge benefits may convince all but the strongest opponents of embryonic stem cell research that the benefits are worth it.

Furthermore, as research methods become more sophisticated, it will be possible to carry out research like this using types of stem cells other than embryonic ones.

Story: Daily Express offline edition

Blindness – Stem Cells Speed Cure is a post from: Living To 150

Calorie Restriction

Malc — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:23:34 +0000

Calorie restriction or "CR" has been shown to extend lifespan in some animals and worm. By reducing intake, our bodies slow down our metabolism to cope with the reduced level of food eaten.

However, can we deal with the repeated hunger pangs? Should we incorporate CR – or partial CR – into our lifestyle to live longer and live healthier?

I used to think "no" having met a couple of CR nutters. However, in the face of further evidence and the passage of time. I am thinking again.

Free Radical Damage

From a scientific point of view, tremendous cell damage is caused by free radicals, and free radicals are produced by the body processing food – especially by the mitochondria of our cells. Eat less food: produce fewer free radicals.

Another positive point for CR is the possibility of "partial CR" – ie not going the whole hog, but limiting food intake somewhat – say to 85% of what you would normally eat.

When it comes to considering cutting down food intake to extend life, one is reminded of the quote in answer to the question: "Does it make you live long?", "No – but it certainly seems that way."

To get more data, one book worth reading is the snappily named: The Longevity Diet: Discover Calorie Restriction – the Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality, written by two practitioners of CR.

You can get it from Amazon.

Calorie Restriction is a post from: Living To 150

Free Longevity Book

Stem Cells will cure Deafness

Malc — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:38:51 +0000

Alternative HealthZine reports that stem cells will soon be used to cure deafness.

Scientists at Sheffield University are on the way to creating the most important hearing cells – the hair cells which detect sound – from a patient’s own stem cells.

Once this has been done – in just a few years – many cases of hearing will be curable.

Story: Hearing Loss Breakthrough

Stem Cells will cure Deafness is a post from: Living To 150

Stem Cells & the Heart

Malc — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:49:05 +0000

A girl who had in the UK who had a third of her heart removed as a baby has made a full recovery.

Now 10 years old, a MRI scan can not even detect scar tissue anywhere on the heart.

Kirsty Collier was born with abnormal blood vessels which caused her serious heart problems when she was 4 months old. During a heart bypass operation, during which the heart is stopped, the surgeon was unable to restart her heart. Her parents were told there was little hope.

Having nearly given up hope the surgeon removed a huge piece of heart muscle which he thought was preventing the heart from starting. After sewing up the remaining heart tissue, the heart did, remarkably, start.

Stem Cells Provide Complete Repair

Even more remarkably, thanks to an abundance of stem cells in one so young, the whole heart has since completely repaired itself – restoring the muscle which was removed.

Kirsty is now completely fit and well.

Stem Cell Promise Tremendous Benefits

With the wider use and acceptance of stem cells which will occur over the next 10-20 years, ‘miracle cures’ such as this one will become commonplace for people of all ages.

Stem Cells & the Heart is a post from: Living To 150

Stem Cell Ethics Issue – Blood Transfusions

Malc — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:42:06 +0000

The issue of stem cell ethics has once more arisen; this time related to blood transfusions.

Britain is a leading nation in stem cell research, mainly because America was held back until recently by ex-President Bush’s funding restrictions, since reversed by President Obama.

New UK research now plans to have infection-free blood available for infusions within 3 years – synthesised from embryonic stem cells.

Blood Transfusion Safety

Blood from donors has the disadvantage of occasional contamination. The worst case of this was probably the large number of haemophiliacs – who need regular transfusions – being infected with HIV before it’s transmission through blood was fully identified.

In addition, it is possible to transmit hepatitis through the blood, as well as variant CJD the human form of BSE or "mad cow disease".

Blood Transfusion Safety Shortage

The blood produced would be from the group O-Rhesus negative – the one blood type, which is accepted by everyone. It would be a huge advantage to have large quantities of this type of blood available.

This would make it much easier to deal with emergencies – not least in battlefield situations, when blood supplies easily run out.

Joint funding

The research will be funded by the NHS, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and the Wellcome Trust - the medical research charity.

Now the ban on federal funding for research has been overturned in America it is expected that the Americans will resume their own research in this area.

Ethics Issue

Ethically there will be objections to the use of embryonic stem cells. Hopefully these will be overcome. The massive benefit of having unlimited, safe blood for transfusions must outweigh moral considerations of using spare embryos left over from IVF treatment, for example.

It’s not as if huge numbers of cells will be needed; theoretically, at least, only one cell will fulfil all our needs.

Safe Blood

If we can get beyond the ethics issue, this will be a great relief to know that blood received from transfusion scan be 100% guaranteed to be free of infection – and available in sufficient quantity.

Stem Cell Ethics Issue – Blood Transfusions is a post from: Living To 150

Genetic Engineering Uses Synthetic DNA

Malc — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:27:07 +0000

Scientists have used genetic engineering to create a new type of DNA by incorporating eight extra nucleotides – the ‘letters’ of DNA – into it. The eight ‘extras’ are slight modifications of the four nucleotides DNA usually consists of.

The new DNA is structured in a double helix, as DNA usually is.

The result of this genetic biotechnology is a mixture of oil and water in a beaker in a laboratory containing a new, artificial organism. The beaker has to be fed nutrients and alternately warmed and cooled to make the whole thing work.

Within two years, Dr Steven Benner at the American Association for the Advancement of Science hopes to make a self-sustaining version.

The two applications Dr Benner saw for his system were in medicine, and in researching possible alien life. The latter would be helped because it would be useful to study how an alternative system to our own developed.

Genetic Engineering Uses Synthetic DNA is a post from: Living To 150