Gene Therapy Filed for FDA Approval

Introgen has announced that it has recently filed applications with the FDA to get approval for its new gene therapy for cancer. The gene therapy is called Advexin. If this passes FDA inspection, it will become the first gene therapy to be approved in this country. Gene therapy has taken a considerable amount of time to get off the ground. There have been many problems that had to be overcome, before they reached this stage of progress.

Introgen uses a modified adenovirus that delivers the TP53 gene to cancer cells. P53 is a protein that causes apoptosis or cell death. This allows scientists to selectively kill off cancer cells, presumably with minimal damage to other cells. A similar gene therapy has already been approved in China. Finding better cures for cancer will go a long way in improving anti-aging prospects as cancer is a major compotent of age related deaths.

Here's some info from Introgen's website.

"Introgen utilizes a variety of platform technologies to develop novel therapies for cancer. Each of these proprietary technologies elicits its therapeutic effects via a highly targeted mechanism of action. This diversity of platforms provides Introgen with multiple approaches to treating cancer, which include:

Delivering cancer-fighting tumor suppressors to cancer
cells
Stimulating the patient’s immune system to attack cancer
cells
Targeting viral replication and cell death to cancer cells

Each platform is designed to produce maximal cancer cell killing with minimal damage to healthy tissue. These targeted therapies have the potential to transform the landscape of cancer care and may lead to novel treatments for diseases with significant unmet medical need. In addition to supporting a variety of cancer-killing approaches, these diverse technologies also provide Introgen with multiple product development opportunities"

Resveratrol and Aging

There is an interesting recent article in the NY Times entitled "New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging". It talks about more evidence that has come in indicating that resveratrol may be able to reduce the effects of aging. Resveratrol is a molecule found in red wine that inhibits the sirtuin gene. Scientists have found that this gene plays an important role in aging. Resveratrol appears to mimic calorie restriction. Calorie restriction is one of the few things that has consistently shown to have life extension properties in animals.

The NY Times article mentions a report in a PLoS ONE article that discusses that low amounts of resveratrol are sufficient to prevent age related cardiac dysfunction. Resveratrol can also be obtained in a supplement form without the need for drinking alcohol. Longevinex is supposedly one of the better supplements currently available.

The Buck Institute

It looks like the "Buck Institute" is doing anti-aging research using stem cells. Stem cells may eventually be used for a whole host of different disorders in the future. The anti-aging potential of stem cells is enormous.

"The Buck Institute for Age Research was the only non-academic group to receive California stem cell grants for new research facilities this year. After qualifying for $20.5 million in state funds, the institute now plans to build a 65,000-square-foot research center on its campus in Novato, CA. When the $41 million facility opens, the institute plans to expand its work in the field of aging and chronic diseases as researchers explore ways to expand the average life span beyond its current limits."

GlaxoSmithKline is Buying Sitris

Bloomberg is reporting that GlaxoSmithKline is purchasing the company Sirtris.

"April 23 (Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Europe's biggest drugmaker, agreed to buy Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $720 million, adding an experimental treatment derived from red wine that's thought to slow the effects of aging."

Sirtris is currently running clinical trials to test its proprietary drug that mimics the supplement resveratrol. Resveratrol is a drug that regulates the sirtuin SIRT1 gene. It has the potential to treat a variety of age related diseases, such as diabetes. Resveratrol may also turn out to be an anti-aging drug. This supplement has the ability to manipulate cellular biochemistry processes that are involved in the aging process . The anti-aging aspect is of course speculative, but the supplement has been shown to increase the lifespan of obese mice. So it may very well have the same effect on humans. Hopefully this means that this drug has a better chance of actually getting to market.

Regrowing Body Parts

The defense department has recently announced that they are launching an army-led cooperative to use new medical technology to assist those with disguring wartime wounds. The army plans on using the latest in stem cell research to be able to reconstruct new body parts for soldiers. So they may be able to replace many different parts such as skin, tendons and muscles. They even mention the possibility of being able to replace fingers, noses and ears.

“Getting these people up to where they are functioning and reintegrated, employed, (and) able to help their families and be fully participating members of society” is the task at hand in which AFIRM will play a major role, Casscells said.

It would be pretty exciting if they were able to be able to replace human body parts. This research could also find use for non-military people. Imagine a future where any body part could be replaced at will. This might go a long way in reducing the effects of aging. If you had a body part that was growing old, you could get it replaced with a new one

"Live to 150" Barbara Walters TV Special

Barbara Walters is having a special program on television about living past 100. The show is entitled "Live to 150, Can You Do It?" and it looks like it will discuss the science behind extreme life extension. The only negative thing I can see is that this show is going to air on April fools day (April 1st). I hope they are going to treat the topic of life extension seriously and not just write it off as a joke. Apparently Aubrey de Grey is going to be interviewed on this special, so it should get the concept of radical life extension some good publicity.

Here's a few quotes from abcnews's website about the show.

"Take a guess. How many people are at least 100 years old in the United States? Would you believe more than 84,000 and climbing at an astonishing rate? By the time America's baby boomers reach that milestone, there could be more than a million centenarians.

My new special, "Live to Be 150 ... Can You Do It?" takes you way beyond nips and tucks, Botox and exercise, but rather to the cutting edge of the search for a longer, healthy life.

Watch "Live to Be 150 ... Can You Do It?" With Barbara Walters on Tuesday, April 1, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

What you will see could not have happened just a few years ago. Whether you're 20, 40 or 60 years old, living well past 100 could actually be possible."

Do You Want to Live Forever?

You can watch an excellent documentary below entitled "Do You Want to Live Forever?" about Aubrey de Grey and his quest for immortality. Aubrey de Grey is a really fascinating biogerontologist with some very plausible methods for extending human lifespan indefinitely. Many in the scientific world deride him as a crank. However, he is a extremely intelligent man and I think at the very least he has the ability to galvanize other scientists around the cause of anti-aging research.