Comments on: Extending healthy life by getting rid of retired cells http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/11/02/extending-healthy-life-by-getting-rid-of-retired-cells/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Jeff Younker http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/11/02/extending-healthy-life-by-getting-rid-of-retired-cells/#comment-13515 Jeff Younker Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:51:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=5696#comment-13515 This research isn't about providing a useful therapy. It's about figuring out general mechanisms. Understanding the general mechanisms will allow us to understand specific mechanisms, and understanding specific mechanisms will allow us to develop useful therapies. This research isn’t about providing a useful therapy. It’s about figuring out general mechanisms. Understanding the general mechanisms will allow us to understand specific mechanisms, and understanding specific mechanisms will allow us to develop useful therapies.

]]> By: Charles Daney http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/11/02/extending-healthy-life-by-getting-rid-of-retired-cells/#comment-13514 Charles Daney Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:22:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=5696#comment-13514 Isn't there another reason that this research doesn't show a useful therapy, even in rapidly-aging mice? As I read the paper, there was an additional genetic mod to add an extra transgene that they called INK-ATTAC (for obvious reasons). This together with the drug (AP20187) is what activated caspase-8 to induce apoptosis. Without that extra gene, their method would not work. Activating caspase-8 is not a step to be taken lightly... Isn’t there another reason that this research doesn’t show a useful therapy, even in rapidly-aging mice? As I read the paper, there was an additional genetic mod to add an extra transgene that they called INK-ATTAC (for obvious reasons). This together with the drug (AP20187) is what activated caspase-8 to induce apoptosis. Without that extra gene, their method would not work. Activating caspase-8 is not a step to be taken lightly…

]]> By: Chris Winter http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/11/02/extending-healthy-life-by-getting-rid-of-retired-cells/#comment-13513 Chris Winter Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:07:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=5696#comment-13513 The gerontologists are closing in on the secret. It's right to be very cautious, of course, even about what's going on with these experiments in mice or flatworms. And of course there's no telling how long it will take to substantially unravel the complex puzzle well enough to apply the knowledge to humans. But it seems progress is going faster than many people suspect. The gerontologists are closing in on the secret. It’s right to be very cautious, of course, even about what’s going on with these experiments in mice or flatworms. And of course there’s no telling how long it will take to substantially unravel the complex puzzle well enough to apply the knowledge to humans.

But it seems progress is going faster than many people suspect.

]]>