Gene Therapy To Counter Aging

Disorders Cure

oi-Staff

By Staff

Thursday, August 20, 2009, 15:41

It seems that getting old and infirm would soon be a thing of the past, as researchers claim that they have found a gene therapy to counter aging and enhance longevity, while paving way for the aged to be physically active.

According to the researchers at the University of Missouri (MU), who conducted their tests on animals say that they have discovered a proven "longevity" gene, which they hope would also be helpful for the humans in future to improve the level and quality of activity in the elderly.

The study was published in the Public Library of Science - ONE and explaining the experiment, Dongsheng Duan, an associate professor said, "Aging is one of the biggest challenges to a modern society. A pressing issue in the elderly is the loss of activity."

So through the experiment, what the research was looking for was not just a simple lifespan prolongation but rather a health span increase. Through experimenting the gene therapy on the lab-mice, the researchers deduced that the mice lived longer when their genome is altered to carry a gene known as mitochondria-targeted catalase gene (MCAT), Duan said.

While the lab-mice was found to run farther, faster and longer than other mice of the same age and sex. Duan attributes the performance enhancement to the MCAT, and believes the gene is responsible for removing toxic substances, known as free radicals, from the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell.

"Our results suggest similar therapy may one day improve the life quality of the elderly. This could have important implications for many diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, heart disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. These patients typically have too many toxic free radicals in their cells," Duan said.

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