Updated: 2023-11-30 17:44:58
Prizes for success in research and development can work well, if coupled with suitable publicity and activism. Such efforts have a long history, going back to the well-documented longitude rewards offered by the British government in the 1700s. More recently, the original Ansari X Prize for suborbital flight was a very successful example of this sort of initiative, and was launched around the same time as the Methuselah Mouse Prize to spur greater efforts to extend life in animal models. The Palo Alto Longevity Prize followed later with similar goals. Unfortunately for the ability of longevity-focused prizes to generate ongoing publicity, it has turned out to be hard to beat the 60-70% extension of life of mice lacking functional growth hormone signaling. That was not […]
Updated: 2023-11-28 18:24:01
Life expectancy and healthy ageing in mice can be determined by a protein present in some cells of the immune system, according to a new study. When this protein -- known as the CD300f immune receptor -- is absent, animal models have a shorter life expectancy and suffer from pathologies associated with cognitive decline and premature ageing, especially in females.
Updated: 2023-11-27 18:24:36
As more medications move towards federal approval for Alzheimer's disease, a new study has found that personalized health and lifestyle changes can delay or even prevent memory loss for higher-risk older adults.
Updated: 2023-11-23 00:22:06
A new study in mice shows that cutting down the amount of a single amino acid called isoleucine can, among other benefits, extend their lifespan, make them leaner and less frail as they age and reduce cancer and prostate problems, all while the mice ate more calories.
Updated: 2023-11-21 22:53:11
Researchers have shown that lysosomes, key organelles for maintaining cellular stability, can be repaired once damaged by a process termed microautophagy. They identified molecules called STK38 and GABARAPs as key regulators of this process. Depletion of microautophagy regulators lead to increased cellular senescence and a shorter lifespan, indicating the importance of this process. This study is highly significant for the achievement of healthy aging and points toward new therapies for age-related diseases.
Updated: 2023-11-16 19:10:21
For 40 years, chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for bladder cancer patients who can tolerate this medicine. However, the results were limited, and lasting results were rare. In recent years, two groundbreaking phase-3 clinical studies have focused on a new form of treatment to improve this. They investigated the effects of combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
Updated: 2023-11-16 19:02:54
With the rise of new drugs that can target the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain that are an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, new ways are needed to determine whether memory loss and thinking problems are due to Alzheimer's disease or another neurodegenerative disorder. A new study shows that shrinkage in the hippocampus area of the brain is associated with cognitive decline, even in people who don't have amyloid plaques in the brain. The hippocampus plays a role in memory.
Updated: 2023-11-13 16:18:29
Fasting interventions, which involve alternating periods of fasting and refeeding, are generally thought to improve health. But these interventions don't work as well in old animals. The question is: Why? By studying the short-lived killifish, researchers have shown that older fish deviate from a youthful fasting and refeeding cycle, and instead enter a state of perpetual fasting, even when ingesting food. However, the benefits of refeeding after fasting in old killifish can be restored by genetically activating a specific subunit of AMP kinase, an important sensor of cellular energy. These mutant fish experienced improved health and longevity, indicating that both fasting and refeeding are needed to confer health benefits and act through AMP kinase to do so.
Updated: 2023-11-08 21:42:59
While we all aspire for a long lifespan, what is most coveted is a long period of vigor and health, or 'healthspan,' that precedes the inevitable decline of advancing age. Researchers have discovered that instruments of death that cells use to commit suicide when things go wrong contribute to making a longer and healthier life by revitalizing the specialized cellular compartments called mitochondria.
Updated: 2023-11-06 18:49:25
People who have a higher biological age than their actual chronological age have a significantly increased risk of stroke and dementia, especially vascular dementia.
Updated: 2023-11-06 18:48:55
Men who are overweight or obese at age 18 have a higher risk of 17 different cancers later in life. This has been shown in a study at the University of Gothenburg. The research also describes how the youth obesity epidemic is expected to affect the cancer situation over the next 30 years.
