
Ageing in human cells successfully reversed in the lab (2018) - novalis78
https://theconversation.com/ageing-in-human-cells-successfully-reversed-in-the-lab-101214
======
j9461701
I believe so many problems in our society would be solved by lifespan
increasing technology. It would make people have to seriously consider the
long-term ramifications of their actions, and I imagine adopt a kinder,
gentler, more sustainable attitude. Climate change is a personal threat to
_you_ if you're immortal, not your children or your children's children. Crime
goes down, as the risks of having jail time on your record grow and grow -
it's one thing to be a felon for 60 years, but to be a felon for 500 years?
1000 years? No one would risk that just for the contents of a 7/11 cash
register. Being nice and kind to everyone you see makes more and more sense,
because the longer your lifespan the higher the probability you'll meet some
of those people again and get your kindness repaid.

The only downside is potential overpopulation issues, but (perhaps this is
naive of me) I imagine most people would accept sterilization in exchange for
eternity.

~~~
ColanR
The show Altered Carbon described an alternative consequence of extended
lifespans - the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and because the rich
don't die, there's no 'reset button' at the transition between generations and
the situation never changes. The rich guy's money can accumulate interest
indefinitely, while the poor guy may never get past the paycheck to paycheck
life (or he lives long enough to eventually figure out how to save enough to
improve his situation).

~~~
jcadam
It would certainly be advantageous to be a member of the first generation of
immortals. Imagine entering an economy as a young twenty something competing
against people who've had centuries to build their careers and accumulate
wealth.

~~~
erikig
Feels like the current situation with millenials and baby-boomers taken to the
n'th level.

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JSeymourATL
Related: Recent podcast: Why We Age - And Why We Don't Have To >
[https://jamesaltucher.com/podcast/492-david-
sinclair/](https://jamesaltucher.com/podcast/492-david-sinclair/)

------
mLuby
Related: Fable of the Dragon Tyrant
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZYNADOHhVY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZYNADOHhVY)

Ways to improve life expectancy:

    
    
        A. keep children alive till adulthood (mostly done)
        B. keep adults disease-free/healthy (somewhat done)
        C. keep old people alive till natural death (little done)
        D. stop natural death (possible?)
        E. reverse aging (possible?)
    

If natural death is just rolling constitution checks long enough to get a
critical miss, then perhaps it's enough to complete C.

If natural death is some sort of cellular countdown, it may suffice to stop
the time, as in D.

I think for most people, what they really want is not eternal life in a 90+
year-old body, but to be able to live in a young body, which necessitates E.

It's interesting to consider scenarios where we accomplish some but not all of
these, especially where C and/or D are possible but E is not.

~~~
LeanderK
yeah, an interesting thought experiment would be a scenario where one could
stop, but not reverse aging. The people young enough would probably stop at
their prime, with the upper part of the society (those past their prime) being
stuck in their respective age.

I would look at life very, very differently if I would know that I would have
a significant longer life-span. I would just chill and live more in the moment
and not worry about time so much (I worry about time quite a lot right now,
probably because a chapter in my life just (a day ago!) ended).

~~~
mLuby
Agreed. Happy birthday!

~~~
LeanderK
Thanks, but near miss :) I moved cities to start my masters, so my chapter of
living in karlsruhe (where I moved for my bachelors) is closed, especially
since I won't be coming back. I have not done everything I've wanted, stayed
longer than I've thought and left some things unfinished. If only there would
be more time, but your twenties unfortunatly don't have more years in them
than the other decades. I probably wouldn't have started my masters yet but
instead take a break and do something crazy. Like move to berlin, try to
survive as a DJ and maybe get into producing music. Maybe study some
philosophy. I feel like some opportunities just rush by and some doors just
slowly but steadily close. And you have to decide for one, maybe two.

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ilaksh
Looks interesting, but very misleading headline.

"Mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide attenuates endothelial senescence by
selective induction of splicing factors"

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30026406](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30026406)

~~~
k_
In what way is it misleading? The original title and abstract are beyond my
knowledge.

~~~
ilaksh
In that they did not reverse aging. They affected one aspect of aging in a
significant way, but did not completely stop or reverse it. And it was only in
one type of tissue, and they don't know that there won't be dangerous side
effects. There are still many other aspects of aging that they did not affect.

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shifto
> By using a “molecular postcode” we have been able to deliver the molecule
> directly to the mitochondria, the structures that produce energy in cells,
> where we think it acts, allowing us to use tiny doses, which are less likely
> to cause side effects.

Is there more information on this? I want to know when I can expect a pill for
this. :)

~~~
rasengan
Definitely interesting and waiting for the pill as well.

Currently, there are a few pills you can take to capture a similar effect
(slow down but not reverse):

1\. DHEA 2\. Niagen 3\. CoQ10

YMMV - Please consult a physician before adding any pill/altering diet in your
regimen.

~~~
echelon
_CAUTION_

I am not a doctor, but I want to caution against blindly taking supplements
like this.

DEHA is a steroid hormone. These are key components of signalling networks in
your body, and they can up or down regulate many different things. It could
definitely be pro-cancer [1]

Niagen is a precursor to NAD+. Screwing with the NAD+ metabolism might promote
cancer [2]

There seems to be good concensus on CoQ10. It may not have an associated
cancer risk (I couldn't find any literature), but it may lower blood pressure
and that should be carefully considered [3]

Please do your homework and ask your doctor before taking any of these. There
are pros and cons and a whole lot of uncertainties.

[1] [https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-
dhea/art-203641...](https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-
dhea/art-20364199)

[2] [https://siteman.wustl.edu/pathway-linked-slower-aging-
also-f...](https://siteman.wustl.edu/pathway-linked-slower-aging-also-fuels-
brain-cancer/)

[3] [https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-
coenzyme-q10/ar...](https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-
coenzyme-q10/art-20362602)

~~~
LinuxBender
That is why I also cycle up/down Sulforaphane to up-regulate NRF2 and activate
several genetic expressions that increase cell autophagy and apoptosis. I also
use Berberine (some use metformin) to modify p53. I also take aged garlic
extract to break down the biofilm on cancer cells and bio-availability
enhanced Curcumin to block metastases or the process. I also do not consume
glucose, as cancer cells and tumors require glucose. Operating off Ketones is
very beneficial to starving cancer cells. All of that said, based on the
studies I have read, the results of CoQ10 only start to become more beneficial
at older ages or in people that have had heart damage. It also helps to ensure
you are not deficient in potassium and magnesium, as those are very important
for mitochondria. Dr. Bruce Ames has done a lot of research in this area and
has theories about "conservation" and how various longevity functions in our
bodies are muted when we only get the RDA or lower of critical components. I
don't have an opinion on NAD+ precursors for humans. Mice studies have produce
great results, but it isn't clear yet if NR/NMN help humans AFAIK.

~~~
shifto
Do you have a starting point for me to read up on this? I'm very interested
but this is so far from what I know I didn't even understand half your post.
Thanks.

~~~
LinuxBender
It is a lot of reading. A starting point would be to use google to search for
various studies on nih.gov. So in google, use "site:nih.gov topic_of_interest"
and don't stop with the first study you find. Some of them are well funded and
sometimes for the wrong reasons. I could give a two hour talk on just reading
studies on that site.

Then after reading everything you can find on each of those topics, you can
also watch youtube videos with Dr. Rhonda Patrick and Dr. Bruce Ames on
conservation theory. She also talks about sulforaphane at great length. She
has a two hour video with another scientist and they go into some of the DoD
studies being done with sulforaphane and children in reversing autism. Then
for starving cancer cells, both nih.gov and youtube videos by Dr. Eric Berg
(DC, not MD) and has spent the last several years researching these topics and
making them more consumable by the general population. Dr. Berg sometimes
leaves out important pieces of information, so keep reading on any topic he
makes youtube videos about.

------
Aperocky
It remain to be seen if this doesn't cause the cell (even if 1 in 10 million)
to start behaving like cancer.

Great hopes! But I still think maybe it's easier for programmable nanobots
with MHC complex attached to it to fix individual cells to allow us to live
longer. Or maybe even change the hardware for $BRAIN_SOFTWARE.

~~~
kypro
If it were actually reversing the ageing process shouldn't cancer be less
likely?

Cancer rates increase with age so younger cells in theory should mean a lower
likelihood of cancer.

~~~
czbond
Or - intermittent fasting could be used for cell regeneration.
[http://news.mit.edu/2018/fasting-boosts-stem-cells-
regenerat...](http://news.mit.edu/2018/fasting-boosts-stem-cells-regenerative-
capacity-0503)

------
manbearpiggy
Eric Cantona was right
[https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1167168051525095424](https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1167168051525095424)

------
xwdv
IMO there is no point in undergoing age reversal if you haven’t already been
maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle. If you’re fat and 65 and treated your
body like a dumpster your whole life I see no point in going back to being a
slightly younger fat blob.

I also think that true age reversal will never be achievable anyway the way
people think, but stopping aging may be possible. I have met some individuals
who seem to exhibit qualities of negligible senescence, the only physical
thing that gives away their true age is probably the quality of their skin and
hair, which does not look as fresh (but still pretty good) as someone much
younger.

~~~
techsin101
Baseless claims. Doesn't matter how good your lifestyle was, by 80 it's
genetics. Science will continue to progress despite what you believe. There
are biological organisms who don't age like we do or even go back and forth;
young to old then young.

~~~
scottlocklin
>There are biological organisms who don't age like we do or even go back and
forth; young to old then young.

Citations please? If we're talking about slime molds or amoebas this might be
interesting trivia, but is completely irrelevant. Multicellular animal models
would be more interesting.

~~~
shadowprofile77
Look into the Turritopsis dohrnii. It's a species of Mediterranean jellyfish
(very definitely a macroscopic, multicellular animal) that is essentially
immortal, and periodically ages in reverse, for lack of a better description.

