We are programmed to die — how can we stop the ticking clock?
The most effective way to treat a disease is to prevent it. So why not put a stop to the cause of most diseases: the process of ageing. Ageing is a work of physics. Just like how rubber bends, metal rusts and engines weaken in cars, our body also goes through this wear and tear. Our body is worn down by trillions of processes involving things like oxygen, radiation and metabolism. Our bodies have many mechanisms to fix this wear and tear but gradually our bodies become less effective at doing this. Due to this, our bones weaken, our immune system decreases, our muscles are no longer strong, our skin starts to wrinkle, followed by our memory and senses diminishing.
In a nutshell: The older we get the more fragile we become.
Maybe we can stop or delay the process of ageing. Let’s get into how we can do this. Here are a few ways:
Telomere Extension
First, it’s important to understand that we have a biological clock under our genetic makeup. And this clock can only run for so long. Let me explain — our body is made up of trillions of cells which are always dividing. Every time they divide they make a copy of their DNA. This DNA is packed in something called chromosomes (we have 23 pairs!) BUT, DNA replication actually isn't that effective since it skips over the end of each chromosome. To protect from important info being cut out, we have telomeres which are meaningless repeats of DNA which can afford to lose. But every time our cells divide these telomeres become shorter and shorter until eventually they have been completely removed.
Now, the cells no longer divide. This is called the Hayflick limit. Due to the limit, the systems in our body start to age and develop diseases and our cells gradually die as we start to inhibit factors relating to ageing characteristics.
Side Note: This also helps to explain that life expectancy is a strongly inheritable trait from your parents because you get your initial telomere length from them.
So you might be thinking, why don’t we just increase the length of our telomeres?
Well, scientists have found a new method which increased telomere length by up to 10%. They used a modified type of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that contains the coding sequence TERT. Basically, TERT is the active component of telomerase. Telomerase is an enzyme which is expressed by stem cells that have the main purpose to maintain the health of telomeres as they are passed on to the next generation through cell division.
In their study, they found that introducing three applications of TERT to human cells, increased telomere length by 10%.
What’s even more interesting is that this therapy can be used for a variety of diseases. For example, a patient with muscular dystrophy can be given this therapy targetted to their muscles stem cells to extend their telomeres.
NAD+ Additives
NAD is a communication molecule in your cells which can be found throughout your entire body. When you are born your NAD level is really high. This is because a lot of the enzyme reactions which are crucial for your health are dependant on this communication molecule. But by the time you are 20 it goes down 50%, and then goes down another 50% for every 20 more years of ageing.
Why is this so bad? As NAD goes down, all the enzyme reactions are fighting over this very limited supply of NAD. Your cells can’t function with a lack of communication which leads to illness, disease (Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, skin cancer) and later death. If we can increase our NAD+ level, our cells will have all the power and energy they need in their mitochondria to make your cells function the best way possible.
Dr. David Sinclair, from Harvard Medical School, put drops of NAD+ into the water of a few mice, and within a couple of hours, their NAD+ levels started to rise. Within the first week, the scientists saw age reversal in muscle and improvements in DNA repair. Check this study out!
Stem Cell Injections
Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells which are able to specialize in different cell types. Stem cells come from two main sources: embryos which supply embryonic stem cells and adult tissue which supply adult stem cells.
Since stem cells are always there to repair damaged tissue, they tend to decline as we age. Adding a fresh new set of stem cells to the human body can slow down the process of ageing because of the ability to constantly replace damaged tissues.
In a study performed on mice where stem cells taken from the brains of baby mice were implanted on to the hypothalamus (a hormone-secreting part of the brain) of middle-aged mice, it was found that brain and muscle functions of the middle-aged mice increased and their life span was boosted by 10%. Another study took stem cells from mice embryos and injected them directly into the hearts of older mice. These mice had improved heart function, could exercise 20% longer, and their hair regrew faster.
Free Radical Prevention
Free radicals are created through natural processes in the body and have been shown to accelerate ageing because they cause cellular damage. Consuming more antioxidants can help decrease some percentage of the number of free radicals in your body, but taking too many antioxidant supplements can throw off your body’s natural defence against free radicals. There have been studies in fruit flies that strengthened their natural defences against free radicals by using an enzyme called superoxide dismutase to convert free radicals to hydrogen peroxide. Check it out here.
Thinking into the future, we should expect several exponential technologies such as AI and CRISPR 2.0 to help make the process of slowing down ageing even easier in humans. I personally think that it will take a combined approach of several science-based studies along with the use of AI and other technologies to find the optimal way to reverse/stop/slow down ageing.
Now that you know a bit more about how we can stop that ticking clock of death, check out a few of the companies working on this problem below:
- Unity Biotechnology: Unity is developing a number of therapies intended to selectively eliminate senescent cells and restore tissue to a more functionally healthy state, through which it is addressing the underlying causes of age-associated diseases.
- Elysium: Scientists are able to increase NAD+ levels in humans through the use of over the counter tablets.
- Celularity: The first company to own and deploy the full value chain from sourcing placental stem cells to patient treatment, Cellularity is uniquely positioned to evolve and accelerate the field of cellular medicine.
Key Takeaways
- Senescence is the leading cause of ageing in mammals, and senescent cells are caused by the shortening and degradation of telomeres over time.
- As cells replicate, the telomeres that protect their chromosomes shorten. Once the telomeres have deteriorated, the cell stops replicating to avoid genetic mutation and becomes a senescent cell.
- As we age, NAD+ (a coenzyme involved in many vital biological processes) levels decline, which slows down our body’s function.
- Scientists have stopped DNA ageing in mice by increasing NAD+ levels that help activate PARP1, a DNA-repair compound.
- Implanting stem cells to certain parts of the body can act as a way to slow down the ageing process through constantly renewing damaged tissues
- Free radicals are detrimental to the cells in our body. Taking the right amounts of antioxidants can help alleviate this damage.
And that’s a wrap! Learn more about me:
I’m Amsal Gilani, a 16-year-old high school student at the University of Toronto Schools looking to impact billions and is passionate about medicine. In the past couple of years at The Knowledge Society — The World’s Leading Global Innovation Program — I have learnt about several cutting-edge technologies, specifically focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and more recently in Regenerative Medicine. Throughout my years at TKS, I have built AI algorithms, VR games, worked with companies such as Walmart and Wealthsimple, interned at an AI startup, and have developed moonshot ideas to solve some of the world’s greatest problems using these technologies.
Also, if you enjoyed this article:
