Re: Telomeres and Telomerase

[Guest guest]

Telomeres are heady stuff to be toying with, no doubt. It'd be

reassuring to see long term assessment of this substance humans

before jumping into that dark area of bio genetic self experimentation,

ISTM.On 4/9/07, Rodney <

perspect1111@...> wrote:

Hi folks:

We have previously discussed that telomere length is one issue that

has to be resolved if aging is going to be cured. We also discussed

a long time ago that a company called Geron seemed to be prominent in

this field, and had been featured in a PBS 'Scientific American

Frontiers' program.

The following is a corporate press release, NOT a scientific paper.

But it does serve to indicate that matters seem to be progressing.

This is the first time I have seen products available for sale to the

public which claim to affect telomere length. I have no present

plans to buy any of this stuff. So, fwiw, here is a link to the

press release:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

ACCT=104 & STORY=/www/story/04-09-2007/0004561838 & EDATE=

http://snipurl.com/1fviy

Rodney.

[Guest guest]

I just thought of the English guy’s name: Aubrey De Grey. If he ever gave a shred of evidence for his far-out predictions, I might start believing him.

_____________________

Hi Rod: Just a word about your wording :-) ......”if aging is to be cured?” Is it a disease?

I think it’s important not to be carried away with semantics (and thus thought of as “that bunch of weirdos in the CR Support Group). Humanity seems to be a long way from cures for even “recognized” diseases (cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s just to name a few of the many). So “curing aging” does not seem to be in the foreseeable future (in spite of the predictions of a few “fringe” futurists like that English guy).

I hate to be a party pooper, but I am a realist. And perhaps science will prove me wrong. But not today.

-----------------------

Hi folks:

We have previously discussed that telomere length is one issue that

has to be resolved if aging is going to be cured. We also discussed

a long time ago that a company called Geron seemed to be prominent in

this field, and had been featured in a PBS 'Scientific American

Frontiers' program.

The following is a corporate press release, NOT a scientific paper.

But it does serve to indicate that matters seem to be progressing.

This is the first time I have seen products available for sale to the

public which claim to affect telomere length. I have no present

plans to buy any of this stuff. So, fwiw, here is a link to the

press release:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

ACCT=104 & STORY=/www/story/04-09-2007/0004561838 & EDATE=

http://snipurl.com/1fviy

Rodney.

[Guest guest]

Hi Francesca:

Yes. The cure (solution? repeal? reversal? elimination? delay? -

check Roget's for more possibilities!) of aging does not appear to be

a near term prospect. But, imo, given the extraordinary and

apparently accelerating, rate of biomedical research who knows when a

set of viable treatments for aging may be found? Probably not in the

next forty years, but my view is that it will certainly be achieved

within a century.

As regards Aubrey de Grey, I recall that Dr. Walford's approach to

CRON was that he regarded it as the best route to take to permit us

to live long enough to have the best opportunity to take advantage of

the next lifespan-extension revolution, whenever it comes about and

whatever it turns out to be. The eradication of aging is among the

possible future advances, down the road. So the approaches of Dr.

Walford and Mr. de Grey are not mutually exclusive.

Our life expectancy has come a long way since paleolithic times. A

great variety of improvements (infant mortality, sanitation, surgery,

antibiotics, nutrition, CR, .....) have contributed to that. And

science is now advancing faster than ever. It seems to me that

fixing the problems that cause what has come to be called 'aging' is

a logical extension of this historical trend. So for those able to

maintain a sensible weight I don't see why that trend will not

continue. As I understand it (according to Kurzweil, I believe)

already human lifespan is being extended by three or four months as

each year passes. And that rate itself has been increasing.

If today's CRON 'technology' can get many of us to 110 in decent

health, who knows what new knowledge will by then be available to

enable us to make it to 130? (Think of the progress health science

has made in the past 50 years). And after that, perhaps longer? Of

course we do not know what is out there in the future. But this is

an optimistic approach to the issue that feels good and can provide

some objectives to aim at!

But you make a good point about diseases for which we have yet to

find cures. Fortunately, CRON goes a long way to protect us from

many of them.

Rodney.

>

> > I just thought of the English guy¹s name: Aubrey De Grey. If

he ever gave a

> > shred of evidence for his far-out predictions, I might start

believing him.

> > _____________________

> >

> >

> >

> >> Hi Rod: Just a word about your wording :-) ......²if aging is

to be

> >> cured?² Is it a disease?

> >>

> >> I think it¹s important not to be carried away with semantics

(and thus

> >> thought of as ³that bunch of weirdos in the CR Support Group).

Humanity

> >> seems to be a long way from cures for even ³recognized² diseases

(cancer,

> >> Alzheimer¹s, Parkinson¹s just to name a few of the many). So

³curing aging²

> >> does not seem to be in the foreseeable future (in spite of the

predictions of

> >> a few ³fringe² futurists like that English guy).

> >>

> >> I hate to be a party pooper, but I am a realist. And perhaps

science will

> >> prove me wrong. But not today.

> >>

> >> -----------------------

> >> Hi folks:

> >>

> >> We have previously discussed that telomere length is one issue

that

> >> has to be resolved if aging is going to be cured. We also

discussed

> >> a long time ago that a company called Geron seemed to be

prominent in

> >> this field, and had been featured in a PBS 'Scientific American

> >> Frontiers' program.

> >>

> >> The following is a corporate press release, NOT a scientific

paper.

> >> But it does serve to indicate that matters seem to be

progressing.

> >> This is the first time I have seen products available for sale

to the

> >> public which claim to affect telomere length. I have no present

> >> plans to buy any of this stuff. So, fwiw, here is a link to the

> >> press release:

> >>

> >> http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

> >> ACCT=104 & STORY=/www/story/04-09-2007/0004561838 & EDATE=

> >>

> >> http://snipurl.com/1fviy

> >>

> >> Rodney.

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >

> >

> >

>