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Life extension story in Financial Times:


People have long dreamt of extending the human lifespan from the biblical “three score years and 10” (70) to reach Methuselah’s 969 and beyond.

Demographic statistics show remarkable progress in fending off death, at least in the developed world. In reality, average life expectancy in biblical times was not 70 but about 35 years. In Britain this rose to about 50 in 1900, 76 in 1990 and 82 today.

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Canada’s federal government believes that ‘regenerative medicine is the future,’ and they’re ready to put money behind this statement.

Stem cells are remarkable. They have the ability to grow into a plethora of different kinds of cells. As the National Institute of Health notes, they are capable of “dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive.” And it is precisely this ability to grow and develop into different cell types that makes stem cells so useful in the fight again a host of diseases and ailments.

Now, Canada’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has just announced that the federal government is set to put in $20 million towards the development of the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine. The move is set to support the establishment of a stem-cell therapy development facility in Toronto.

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Modest progress at the WHO international consultation on aging.


Our parent organization the ILA has been busy and here is an article about the latest news from the World Health Organization meeting in Geneva to discuss aging research. There are some positive changes being made and well done to everyone who helped out on this project.

http://majormouse.org/?q=node/164

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Was hit by a car when I was younger and broke my leg. This would have been better then a metal rod. Fascinating.


A team of researchers from the University of Michigan has developed a new technique to aid bone repair, using polymer nano-shells to deliver microRNA molecules. The method could one day have a big impact on regenerative medicine, directing cells already present at injury sites to aid healing.

The new study builds on previous research conducted back in 2011, where nanofiber microspheres were used to carry cells to injury sites to help the wounding process. The new work uses the same idea, but rather than transporting foreign cells, focuses on making better use of the cells already at the wound site.

The team developed tiny polymer spheres that are able to easily breach cell walls, carrying microRNA molecules to cells at bone wound sites. The spheres are designed to protect the molecules during transit, degrading once in place in cells at the site of the wound.

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I am reading this right now. I feel like I need to go back and study it when i am finished. It is not only a basic information source but provides some nice history on the R&D of life extension. There are a number of people we can name as the big names in longer life R&D, Fossel is one of them.


The Telomerase Revolution: The Enzyme That Holds the Key to Human Aging and Will Soon Lead to Longer, Healthier Lives [Michael Fossel] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. One of Wall Street Journal’s Best Books for Science Lovers in 2015Science is on the cusp of a revolutionary breakthrough. We now understand more about aging—and how to prevent and reverse it—than ever before. In recent years.

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I was shocked to learn recently that one of the major reasons longevity drugs haven’t been going to human trials, despite obvious promise, is that the FDA requires that any potential drug trial has to have a disease or condition it treats. Because aging hasn’t been seen as a disease or medical condition, no drug trials have been allowed to go forward to treat it. NONE! Finally, late last year, aging has been OFFICIALLY recognized as a disease and is therefor now a valid target disease for drug trials. **sigh**.


Are we one step closer to developing compounds that can extend our lifespan?

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