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Fountain of youth comes in a pill? |
| TheAllINeed.com |
(NC&T/UA) David Sinclair, associate professor at Harvard and a world-renowned anti-aging expert, will be the special guest of the University of Alberta's Cell Biology Students' Association during tomorrow's sixth annual Distinguished Cell Biologist Lecture Series.
Sinclair's public talk, entitled "Could Longevity Drugs Become a Reality," will focus on the quest to find genes and drugs that will one day slow down the aging process.
Sinclair has popularized the idea that resveratrol, a molecule found in red wine, among other things, has anti-aging properties. His studies have shown that the molecule activates certain genetic pathways, or "regulator genes," that exist in all life forms and protect organisms against stress and adversity, in turn making them healthier and more likely to live longer.
"Think of these pathways as guardians of our cells, keeping them healthy and alive for longer," said Sinclair. "We think that by targeting those genes with drugs we can have broad effects; not just one disease at a time, but on many diseases. Imagine a diabetes pill that also slows down cancer, heart disease and even cataracts."
Sinclair's research has shown a 30 per cent increase in the lifespan of yeast cells and mice and a 59 per cent increase in a certain type of short-lived fish. In humans, he says a 30 per cent increase in lifespan is not inconceivable.
 | | David Sinclair is on campus to speak about his insights into prolonged life expectancy. (Photo: U. Alberta) |
"The key isn't so much that you live longer; it's that when you are 90 years old you feel like you are 60," he said. "It's not about keeping people in wheelchairs for longer; this molecule would actually be prolonging usefulness. You will actually look younger," and, he says, possibly avoid the early onset of age-related diseases.
Sinclair will also be discussing a paper that he is hoping to publish in the near future that says resveratrol has the added bonus of mimicking a calorie-restricted diet, found in societies with longer-than-expected lifespans.
"The genes and the molecule do the same thing; they both mimic a calorie-restricted diet," said Sinclair. "People joke that you can have your cake and eat it too."
And while red wine is one of the largest and most welcomed sources of resveratrol, Sinclair says a person would have to consume 1,000 bottles of red wine per day to get the same effects as the synthetic compounds his lab has developed.
"We've developed molecules that are a thousand times more effective than resveratrol," said Sinclair, adding his lab is now in the second phase of clinical trials on humans with diabetes. "Right now, we're exploring ways to give these molecules to society once we've determined that they're safe."
For Fred Mast, a grad student within the department of cell biology and president of the Cell Biology Students' Association, getting Sinclair to headline this year's lecture series was his association's top priority.
"Within the community it is an honour to have researchers like this come and speak to students' groups," said Mast. "For us, we get to see what it takes to be successful. You have a person standing there who is at the next stage we're going to progress to, so we can learn from that."
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| About the Author |
©2006 All rights reserved
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| Quotes | Heres tae the fool on the hill and his pals that are down in the valley.- Wolfstone, Glass and the Can
He thought the formula for water was H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O (H-to-O).
He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts — for support rather than illumination. — Andrew Lang.
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