Lifeboat Foundation

A team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions in China and the U.S. has found that injecting procyanidin C1 (PCC1), a chemical found in grape seed extract, into older mice extended their lifespan. In their paper published in the journal Nature Metabolism, the group describes the link between PCC1 and extended lifespan in mice and the experiments they carried out with the material.

Scientists have been trying for many years to understand the aging process. The hope is that once it is understood, mitigation efforts can slow or stop the process to allow people to live longer or to live in a more healthy way as they age. In this new effort, the researchers screened 46 plant extracts looking for anti-aging capabilities. They came across PCC1. Initial tests during screening showed it reduced the number of senescent cells in the human prostate. Such cells are known to contribute to aging. Intrigued with their results, the researchers tested it further. They found that at low doses it prevented senescent cells from contributing to inflammation, and at higher doses killed them outright without harming other cells.

The team then injected 171 mice with PCC1, 91 of whom were considered to be old. They found that this increased the overall lifespan of the mice by 9 percent and their remaining lifespans by 60 percent, on average. The researchers also injected younger mice with the extract chemical over a period of four months and found it improved their physical fitness. They then injected mice that had cancerous tumors with the chemical and found that doing so helped to shrink tumors when given in conjunction with chemotherapy. They also found it did the same with human tumor cells implanted into mice.

Very technical and it’s from the usually secretive Calico.

Jacob Kimmel of Calico Labs discusses how cells can be reprogrammed to restore youthful expression through transient suppression of cell identity at Lifespan.io’s 2021 EARD conference.

Continue reading “Reversing Cell Age, Suppressing Cell Identity, Can Ontogeny Be Reversed? — Jacob Kimmel Lifespan.IO” »

As we age, our muscles gradually become smaller, weaker and less able to heal after injury. In a new study, UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers pinpoint an important mediator of youthfulness in mouse muscle, a discovery that could advance muscle regeneration therapies for older people.

Published today in Nature Aging, the study demonstrates that circulating shuttles called extracellular vesicles, or EVs, deliver genetic instructions for the longevity protein known as Klotho to muscle cells. Loss of muscle function and impaired muscle repair in old mice may be driven by aged EVs, which carry fewer copies of these instructions than those in young animals.

The findings are an important advance in understanding why the capacity for muscles to regenerate dwindles with age.

Dubbed an ‘intelligent bomb,’ this biotechnology marks an advance in senolytics, which aims to remove harmful, zombie-like cells from the body.

In addition to our film, Gitcoin is also hosting several different longevity projects via Lifespan.io / Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation, all of which you can support by clicking below 🧬

Projects put forth by the Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation (LEAF) — aka Lifespan.io — and projects fiscally sponsored by LEAF.

Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine.

“People recovering from heart damage often face a long and tricky journey. Healing is challenging because of the constant movement tissues must withstand as the heart beats. The same is true for vocal cords. Until now there was no injectable material strong enough for the job,” says Guangyu Bao, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University.

The team, led by Professor Luc Mongeau and Assistant Professor Jianyu Li, developed a new injectable hydrogel for wound repair. The hydrogel is a type of biomaterial that provides room for cells to live and grow. Once injected into the body, the biomaterial forms a stable, porous structure allowing live cells to grow or pass through to repair the injured organs.

https://www.cryonics.org/images/uploads/magazines/CI_NEWS-2021-03.pdf

Due to last years success, I am back with an updated list of my 5 most promising anti-aging compounds.

There are more than 200 different geroprotective compounds. Some of these are already available as supplements, some are in clinical trials and some have FDA approval. Which are my top 5 that I think i most promising in terms of their anti-aging effects (so focusing more on healthspan than lifespan). And note the use of “promising” — there is still much work to be done to better investigate the long-term safety, dose and timings of different supplements which you should always bear in mind.

Continue reading “5 Most Promising Anti-Aging Compounds (Updated 2022)” »

Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine.

“People recovering from heart damage often face a long and tricky journey. Healing is challenging because of the constant movement tissues must withstand as the heart beats. The same is true for vocal cords. Until now there was no injectable material strong enough for the job,” says Guangyu Bao, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University.