|
|
BGRF Newsletter 8th November 2008
Brisk Research on Potential Anti-Aging Drug A new 'anti-aging' drug is being researched at the Wistar Institute, focusing on prevention of a niacin-sirtuin interaction, which could potentially lead to a treatment to significantly enhance human healthspan. Even if it does not live up to its full promise, it could still retard age-related disorders, including obesity and Type II diabetes, making it a most exciting avenue of research. http://www.drugresearcher.com/Emerging-targets/Possible-anti-aging-drug Weakness can be fought in elderly persons with the help of drugs The loss of muscle mass giving rise to what is known as ‘frailty’ is one of the primary debilitating changes that come with old age, and as such a perfect area of interest for the BGRF. According to a researcher at the University of Virginia, “frailty is one of the scourges of elderly persons, and as researchers are beginning to learn about its causes, they are asking whether growth hormone deficiency is one of them,” leading in turn to research on the drug discussed in this article. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27524685/ Dementia Research According to researchers at Gothenburg University in Sweden, some cognitive skills fade rapidly nearly 15 years before death, rather than the five years indicated by past research. Following from last month’s articles, more evidence that the symptoms of Alzheimer’s are due not to the characteristic plaques, but to the neurofibrillary tangles. In this study vitamin B3 was shown to cause improved memory retention in mice, both with and without Alzheimers disease. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26426721/ http://www.worldhealth.net/news/vitamin_b3_may_protect_against_alzheimer A herb to reverse telomere shortening According to biotech company Geron, their TA-65 chemical, made from the Chinese herb Astragalus, reverses the process of telomere shortening by activating telomerase. TA Sciences have translated this to a therapeutic process already, though priced out of reach of the mainstream. http://antiagingnutritionnews.com/blog/422/anti-aging-telomere-treatment-is-here/ Treatments for brain and lung tumors Scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have discovered a combination of three drugs which can be used for the treatment of brain tumors. Meanwhile researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine have discovered that when a key gene is cut off lung cancer tumor cells become less able to form colonies, and in effect die from homelessness: “"Targeting this critical molecule could lead to meaningful therapeutic progress," notes one of the researchers. http://www.drugresearcher.com/Emerging-targets/ http://www.drugresearcher.com/Emerging-targets/ Medicines to mimic calorie restriction Calorie restriction is the only proven method of significant health-span extension in mammals, so mimicking its effects could lead to therapies of huge importance to the elderly. The first article, covering research by David Sinclair and Rafael de Cabo, reviews yet more evidence that resveratrol produces just such a mimicking effect. And until available in a pill, the prefect way to consume resveratrol: wine! Resveratrol is an organic compound naturally present in grapes, and is particularly enriched in red wine. Research on consumption of resveratrol by fish was found that to slow down the aging process, according to the researchers from Lay Line Genomics, a company focused on neurodegenerative and ageing related diseases. http://www.nhne.org/news/NewsArticlesArchive/ http://www.drugresearcher.com/Emerging-targets/ |
| Contact |
© Biogerontology Research Foundation 2007-08 all rights reserved Registered Charity number 1124054 |