""Researchers delivered a modified RNA that encodes a telomere-extending protein to cultured human cells. Cell proliferation capacity was dramatically increased, yielding large numbers of cells for study.

A new procedure can quickly and efficiently increase the length of human telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that are linked to aging and disease, according to scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Treated cells behave as if they are much younger than untreated cells, multiplying with abandon in the laboratory dish rather than stagnating or dying.

The procedure, which involves the use of a modified type of RNA, will improve the ability of researchers to generate large numbers of cells for study or drug development, the scientists say. Skin cells with telomeres lengthened by the procedure were able to divide up to 40 more times than untreated cells. The research may point to new ways to treat diseases caused by shortened telomeres.

Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of the strands of DNA called chromosomes, which house our genomes. In young humans, telomeres are about 8,000-10,000 nucleotides long. They shorten with each cell division, however, and when they reach a critical length the cell stops dividing or dies. This internal “clock” makes it difficult to keep most cells growing in a laboratory for more than a few cell doublings.
‘Turning back the internal clock’

“Now we have found a way to lengthen human telomeres by as much as 1,000 nucleotides, turning back the internal clock in these cells by the equivalent of many years of human life,” said Helen Blau, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford and director of the university’s Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology. “This greatly increases the number of cells available for studies such as drug testing or disease modeling.”

A paper describing the research was published today in the FASEB Journal. Blau, who also holds the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Professorship, is the senior author. Postdoctoral scholar John Ramunas, PhD, of Stanford shares lead authorship with Eduard Yakubov, PhD, of the Houston Methodist Research Institute.

The researchers used modified messenger RNA to extend the telomeres. RNA carries instructions from genes in the DNA to the cell’s protein-making factories. The RNA used in this experiment contained the coding sequence for TERT, the active component of a naturally occurring enzyme called telomerase. Telomerase is expressed by stem cells, including those that give rise to sperm and egg cells, to ensure that the telomeres of these cells stay in tip-top shape for the next generation. Most other types of cells, however, express very low levels of telomerase.
Transient effect an advantage

The newly developed technique has an important advantage over other potential methods: It’s temporary. The modified RNA is designed to reduce the cell's immune response to the treatment and allow the TERT-encoding message to stick around a bit longer than an unmodified message would. But it dissipates and is gone within about 48 hours. After that time, the newly lengthened telomeres begin to progressively shorten again with each cell division.

The transient effect is somewhat like tapping the gas pedal in one of a fleet of cars coasting slowly to a stop. The car with the extra surge of energy will go farther than its peers, but it will still come to an eventual halt when its forward momentum is spent. On a biological level, this means the treated cells don’t go on to divide indefinitely, which would make them too dangerous to use as a potential therapy in humans because of the risk of cancer.

This new approach paves the way toward preventing or treating diseases of aging."

Read more at https://www.minds.com/blog/view/406193950127296512/breakthrough-stanford-study-proves-telomere-extension-turns-back-aging-clock-in-human-cells


Actually, extending the telemeres has been a goal for a long time. Doing it in a way that was effective and useful was the problem. The above study is an amazing advance in science and could prove to open the door to a wonderful boon to patients with age related illnesses.

Well its not exactly the fountain of youth

Wouldn't this ultimately add to the problem of overpopulation at the same time...?

No coz the CIA are already keeping that in moderation by influencing global deaths

that's pretty cool, ive heard something like this before. it really just angers me though because its not like any normal people will have access to it, only the billionaires probably. something tells me science knows a lot more about this subject but it is compartmentalized. something weird kind of off topic but I remember reading something about ancient civilizations where people lived 40,000 years, to all of a sudden only living our normal life spans of today. something tells me this kind of technology already exists but they keep it hush hush because if there was some magical chemical that could make people live forever everyone would be killing everyone trying to get it, so its reserved for the ruling elites of the world.

....for cancer? The movie stars will be rushing for the new stem cell research anti aging. Clamoring to be test subjects. Does this mean we won't have to guess at what facial procedure they had that makes them unrecognizable anymore? Wait! I want to buy the new cream that so-n-so is peddling now.

The first thing I thought of when I read the OP was how this could reduce the risk of dementia and alzheimer's!...I've read about how the length of our telomeres may be related to memory and cognition in that the shorter they are when we are young, the greater our chances of developing dementia...For those interested in improving their quality of life by being proactive, there is also a link between telomere length and antioxidants...Antioxidants are already proven to be effective for strengthening our immune system and slowing cellular breakdown, so long term, comprehensive use could be helpful in inhibiting telomeric shortening...This is something MOST OF US can begin today by taking a "well designed" multi vitamin, multi mineral, multi antioxidant every morning...

So a type of quasi immortality. And there is always the case of deficient proteins and modification to the end caps. And.so on and so forth
. But fun stuff

Hey cutey! What is your name??

glad to see someone else sees it as a problem...

kind of reminds me of the movie "Idiocracy", when they said most of the sciences were devoted to beauty, aging, and making guys johnsons bigger....

I suspect the first benefits will be where the cells grow fast, be easily accessed and will draw paying customers, i.e., skin care. It well may be a fountain of youth that is only skin deep. People will pay to look young.

Don't be a sucker all of your life. There is no way to turn back aging without violating The Laws Of Thermodynamics....which nothing can do. Reversing Entropy aint gonna happen in your lifetime.

they don't have to reverse entropy, just slow it down...

You are bringing up the wrong branch of science. This topic has nothing to do with thermodynamics or time travel, just biology. The only thing that keeps a cell from staying healthy for ten divisions or a hundred is the structure of the cell. The repair of a telemere may be what it takes to do EXACTLY what the experiment in the OP quote explains; how a human cell can be made to keep dividing and stay healthy in the process which is a way to extend lifespan. It may not work on all human cells soon, but it works on some now. And that is a BIG advancement in medicine.

I just hope I live to see the day when people complaining about our profile pics being to old, saying so because "you don't look as young as you do now."

I love hearing about new breakthroughs and discoveries. As for human biology, that makes me nervous. Discovering how a cell operates and figuring out how to extend the longevity is good but, as mentioned earlier,further study is going to be needed since we know radical ions and invasion of germs can also affect state of cells. It's a study that would require definite monitoring. Who wants to live forever? really? I'd prefer sticking to natural life body clock.

I saw a product advertised to help repair telomeres on late night TV!

I think the term is "a grain of salt"...

Chinese supplement to slow aging.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/anti-aging-pill-targets-telomeres/

As much as this may sound beneficial to some, I'd rather grow old the natural way. I really don't believe in chemicals to improve the body, or the mind. Until I see evidence of this kind of thing, I'll remain quite sceptical about it. Scientists and TV commercials are always encouraging people to look either younger or thinner. And it just screams of bs to me. Even if I DID end up looking younger or thinner, it wouldn't take away the other problems. They want us to spend loads of money on this kind of thing, but at the end if the day, we choose whether to buy it or not. We can't be forced to. Until we all become zombies that is.