Future Current

Though some areas of SENS, such as stem cells and amyloid immunotherapy, are sufficiently mainstream not to need funding, most are still relative backwaters that rely on the Methuselah Foundation to progress. As a result of the great generosity of donors, the non-profit organization trebled the diversity of its research in 2008. At the BIL unconference in February, Chief Science Officer Aubrey de Grey gave an overview of the research projects that the organization is now funding, their significance to SENS, and their potential to lead to accelerated progress towards the defeat of aging in 2009 and beyond.

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Convergence08, the interdisciplinary unconference, continued with a panel discussion on life extension. Moderated by Christine Peterson of Foresight Nanotech Institute, the group of biotechnology and health experts included Aubrey de Grey of the Methuselah Foundation, Terry Grossman of the Frontier Medical Institute, Bruce Ames of the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, and Gregory Benford of Genescient Corporation.

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One might imagine that AI systems with harmless goals will demonstrate harmless behavior. A paper by Self-Aware Systems founder and president Steve Omohundro submitted for the AGI-08 conference on artificial general intelligence shows instead that intelligent systems will need to be carefully designed to prevent them from behaving in harmful ways. This presentation on the basic AI drives, taking place at the post-conference workshop, identifies a number of “drives” that will appear in sufficiently advanced AI systems of any design.

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To be practically useful, the measurement of aging rate (by monitoring the decline of a global index of functional capacity, expressed as a rate function) must be relatively easy and inexpensive. Measured aging rate should enable empirical testing of purported anti-aging interventions in relatively short-term human clinical trials. This is the primary objective of the Kronos Longitudinal Aging Study. Chris Heward, President of Kronos Science Laboratory, presented on strategies aimed at intervening in the aging process at the 2007 Foresight Vision Weekend, including a brief overview of the study and its intentions.

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The correlation between telomere length and age is very strong.  Shorter telomeres directly correspond to shorter human life expectancy, but “cause and effect” are still debated. Finding ways to prevent telomere shortening could be an ideal way to address these issues and answer the question once and for all: Does prevention of telomere shortening extend our lifespans? Dr. Laura Briggs of Sierra Sciences presented on the subject of the organization’s research at the Aging ’08 conference in Los Angeles, California in a presentation titled “Before We Can Add Years to Life, We Must Add Life to Years.”

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Gilad Lehmann and Nason Schooler at Understanding Aging: Biomedical and Bioengineering Approaches

Lipofuscin accumulates in the lysosomes of aging post-mitotic cells and progenitor cells, interfering with autophagy. Thus it has been proposed that the removal of this indigestible aging pigment may be a highly effective rejuvenation therapy. It has been known for over forty years that pulsed unfocused lasers can selectively destroy pigmented structures without harming the surrounding tissue.  Aging researcher Nason Schooler offered his perspective on the potential benefits of the lipofuscin removal approach at the Understanding Aging scientific conference hosted by the Methuselah Foundation.

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Zheng Cui is a biochemist currently serving as an Associate Professor of Pathology (Tumor Biology) at Wake Forest University. Last year his research into granulocyte therapy made headlines by achieving a complete cure for all types of cancer tested in mice. As an oncologist and a cancer researcher he has proposed that certain individuals (estimated at 10% to 15% of the human population) naturally produce a special kind of white blood cell that contains an inherent resistance to cancer. These white blood cells could potentially be extracted from donors and given to cancer victims, thus endowing them with cancer resistance.

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Marisol Corral-Debrinski and Bruce Ames at Aging 2008

Bruce Ames is a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI). He is the inventor of the Ames test, a system for easily and cheaply testing the mutagenicity of compounds. His research focuses on cancer and aging and he has authored over 500 scientific publications. He is among the few hundred most-cited scientists in all fields.

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Daniel Perry, Gregory Fahy and Michael West at Aging 2008 in Los Angeles

Daniel Perry, Executive Director of the Alliance for Aging Research in Washington, D.C. heads the leading citizen advocacy organization in the nation, promoting a broad spectrum of research focused on improving the health and quality of life of the aging population. Mr. Perry’s diversity of health policy, government, political and journalistic experiences make him an expert in his field. He frequently is called upon as a speaker on aging research and policy before a myriad of audiences. As a journalist, he has been widely published and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations, including a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize.

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Bernard Siegel is the full-time Executive Director of the nonprofit Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  In 2002, Mr. Siegel filed the landmark case seeking a guardian for the alleged clone, “Baby Eve.” The case was widely credited for exposing Clonaid, the so-called “human cloning company” as a sham. In 2003, he traded his 30-year courtroom career to found GPI, which leads the global cause in support of stem cell research. He is a recognized policy expert relating to stem cell research, regenerative medicine and cloning. He also works with grassroots activists throughout the United States, educating lawmakers and formulating effective strategies supporting research for cures.

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William Haseltine has an active career in both science and business. He was a professor at Harvard Medical School from 1976-1993 where he was the chair of two academic research departments. He is well known for his pioneering work on cancer and HIV/AIDS. He is the Founder of Human Genome Sciences, Inc and served as the Chairman and CEO of the Company until 2004. He is also the founder of seven other successful biotechnology companies. He serves as an advisor to CMEA, a venture capital company, and to several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

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A pioneer in the field of stem cell research, Michael West, Ph.D., has served on the BioTime Board of Directors since 2002 and has extensive academic and business experience in age-related degenerative diseases, telomerase molecular biology and human embryonic stem cell research and development. At the free symposium organized by the Methuselah Foundation life-extension organization, he unveiled an online open sourced database, called the Embryome, whose purpose is to help identify the hundreds of cell types that can be made from embryonic stem cells.

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