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Researchers may have found a way to halt the biological clock..

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posted on Aug, 11 2008 @ 06:17 AM
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Researchers may have found a way to halt the biological clock which slows down our bodies over the decades.

Cell change 'keeps organs young'

A US team thinks it may have found the genetic levers to help boost a system vital to cleaning up faulty proteins within our cells. The journal Nature Medicine reported that the livers of genetically-altered older mice worked as well as those in younger animals.



Toxic proteins build up in organs over time


Info:
The fundamental chemicals of cells - proteins - often have very short working lives, and need to be cleared away and recycled as soon as possible.

The body has a system for doing just that, but it becomes progressively less efficient as we get older.

This leads to progressive falls in the function of major organs - the heart, liver and brain, some of which contribute to the diseases of old age.



Dr Ana Maria Cuervo, from Yeshiva, created a mouse with two genetic alterations:
The first, when activated, boosted the number of specific cell receptors linked to this protein recycling function, while the second allowed the first to be turned on whenever Dr Cuervo wished simply by modifying the animal's diet.

Switched on:
She waited until the mice were six months old - the point at which age-related decline in the protein-recycling system begins - then turned on the receptor gene.

When examined at two years old, the liver cells of these mice were far more effective at recycling protein compared with normal mice.

When the overall liver function of the very old genetically-modified mice was tested, they performed at a comparable level to much younger mice.

Dr Cuervo said: "These results show it's possible to correct this protein 'logjam' that occurs in our cells as we get older, thereby perhaps helping us to enjoy healthier lives well into old age."



"They seem to have managed is to maintain the mice at this young stage, and both restore and maintain normal activity."

It should, in theory, be possible to achieve the same effect across the whole body.

news.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 11-8-2008 by Daniem]

[edit on 11-8-2008 by Daniem]



posted on Aug, 11 2008 @ 06:12 PM
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Wow great find! I wonder if this would be applicable to human brains as well as other organs. If so this might be able to be a way to stop degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimers maybe?



posted on Aug, 11 2008 @ 07:15 PM
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reply to post by Mantys
 


"She now plans to test animal models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, believing that the abnormal protein deposits in Alzheimer's in particular might be dealt with more effectively this way. "

Oh i hope they hurry up.. i wanna stay young forever.. i dont wanna stay old forever



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