BUFFALO, New York – Aging research is evolving at such an astonishing rate that it’s almost hard to keep up. Yet some major breakthroughs could soon be on their way.
One is the development of new chemical techniques to reprogram cells back to a youthful state and open the way to regenerative medicine and whole-body rejuvenation.
Calorie Restriction
Scientists have long sought an explanation for why calorie restriction extends lifespan and delays age-related diseases in laboratory animals, yet still do not fully comprehend its mechanisms. While researchers still do not fully understand, various hypotheses have emerged – these include replicating its results or turning back development clocks using something known as cellular reprogramming which involves taking fully developed cells and changing them back.
Keep in mind that differences in biological age often appear years before any disease-related symptoms manifest themselves; any treatments to slow or reverse aging must start early enough to have any lasting effect. Penn State researchers recently discovered, for instance, that diet could affect the length of telomeres which act like protective caps at the ends of chromosomes.
Senescent Cell Elimination
Leonard Hayflick first made the discovery of cellular senescence in 1960, when he overturned the scientific consensus that human cells could replicate without end in laboratory cultures. Instead, he observed that after a certain number of replication cycles, cells would enter a permanent growth arrest known as senescence and gradually accumulate throughout the body, secreting pro-inflammatory signals, tissue degradation signals, and death signals which have been linked with cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
One way to combat aging is through eliminating unwanted, senescent cells. A class of drugs known as senolytics has been developed that target these stubborn cells and force them into apoptosis – these injections can then be injected directly into tissues or organs where senescent cells reside and destroyed as needed. With success being seen so far from this research, numerous companies are currently developing these senolytics drugs for clinical trials with human participants.
Recently, research showed that senolytic drugs could significantly enhance health and extend longevity in mice by targeting senescent cells for clearance by their immune systems. Senolytic Therapeutics, the biotechnology firm behind this research, hopes to bring these medications to market by 2023.
Note that senolytics may cause serious side effects, including kidney damage. Therefore, this treatment approach should only be attempted under medical advice and supervision. In addition, researchers are exploring senomorphic techniques as a possible means of protecting cells that have become dangerous over time through changing the signals they emit – this process known as “preventative senomorphics”.
An experiment conducted at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai successfully reversed senescence in blood-forming stem cells by slowing their degradation lysosomes back down, published in Cell Stem Cell journal showed this could revitalize these cells and enhance their regenerative capabilities.
CAR T-cell therapy was pioneered at the University of California, Berkeley by another team. Their team found that targeting and killing off liver sinusoidal endothelial cells with CAR T cells resulted in reduced inflammation, better liver function and even extended longevity for mice undergoing this study. Researchers involved are now optimizing this approach for human trials.
Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness is an inborn human trait that you can cultivate through various practices such as sitting, walking and moving meditation. Mindfulness improves focus and performance while decreasing stress levels. Furthermore, mindfulness deepens self-insight and fosters compassion towards oneself and others – as well as decreasing symptoms associated with mental illnesses like anxiety disorders and depression.
Mindfulness also allows you to become more self-aware of negative emotions and behaviors, enabling you to recognize when your temper flares or when you judge yourself too harshly – it also lowers cortisol levels naturally produced in your body! Though mindfulness requires daily commitment to begin reaping its rewards; even spending 5 minutes breathing deeply and being present has immense advantages over time.
Focusing on physical sensations within your body and environment are central components of mindfulness practice. You should begin by noting your breath, followed by what it feels like to be in your body, then thoughts. When your attention wanders off-track, simply acknowledge the thought before returning your focus back onto breath, body or environment. To take it one step further you can try using body scan or this 3-minute breathing space meditation for practice.
Scientists and researchers are understandably passionate about finding ways to reverse aging. But it’s also important to remember that aging is not an inexorable progression: Some people develop age-related diseases earlier due to genetics, lifestyle choices and molecular damage over a lifetime – even if scientists were successful in doing this at a cellular level, all the other societal factors contributing to accelerated aging and death could still contribute.
