A recent study conducted by the University of Misouri may perhaps shed light on the way to augment the quality and level of activity among senior people. The study that was published in the Public Library of Science – One, the researchers discovered that gene therapy consisting of a confirmed “longevity” gene energized the mice during exercise and it might be applicable to human beings in the days to come.
Dongsheng Duan, an associate professor of immunology and molecular microbiology affirms that one of the greatest challenges of the modern society regards the aging phenomenon. People do not content themselves with a simple prolongation of their lifespan; they rather want a health span increase. Following the gene therapy with the proven “longevity” gene, the professor and this team studied how well the mice carried out exercises on treadmill. They discovered that the gene therapy worked well and that the mice acted better following the treatment.
Previous studies have discovered that when the genome of the mice were changed to carry a gene a gene, also known as mitochondria-targeted catalase gene, or MCAT, they tended to live more. On the other hand, these approaches would not be appropriate for human beings. Dejia Li, a post-doctoral researcher who is working with Duan, adopted a different approach and put the MCAT gene in a benign virus and then injected the virus into the mice.
Once the virus was injected, the researchers, Duan and Li examined the mice and they found out that the mice could run faster, farther and longer than other mice that were of the same age and sex. Duan attributes this enhancement in their performance to the MCAT gene and considers the latter to be responsible for the removal of toxic substances from the mitochondria. They are known as known as free radicals. By making use of this particular gene therapy vector, the virus, in order to launch the longevity gene, Duan and Li have made human treatment become a possibility.
According to Duan, the results they have obtained imply that such therapy may one day enhance the quality of life of the senior citizens. This in turn can have pertinent implications for various diseases, like heart disease, muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes as these patients usually have toxic radicals in excess in their cells.
Source: Science Daily
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Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity
Tue, May 25, 2010
Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity