I'm crying over this one. Do you have an email address through infonex from which you can post to G2i? This one really needed to be there as well... EN At 01:54 PM 98 01 15 -0500, you wrote: >This has long-term societal implications, one of those breakthroughs >that if carried forward will radically change the political economy. >--MW > > Tuesday January 13 6:30 PM EST > >Human Cell Lifespan Extended > > NEW YORK (Reuters) -- For the first time, researchers have confirmed > that the "clock" thought to control aging in human cells does indeed > dictate that process. What's more, they have found a way to circumvent > the process -- extending the lifespan of normal, healthy human cells, > according to a report in Science. > > The finding has "profound" implications for the study of cancer, which > may use the same process to escape the aging process, according to an > editorial accompanying the study. > > And it may lead to treatment for human disease caused by worn out cells, > such as macular degeneration -- the leading cause of blindness in those > over 65. > > "This research raises the possibility that we could take a patient's own > cells, rejuvenate them, then modify the cells as needed and give them > back to the patient to treat a variety of genetic and other diseases," > said senior investigator Dr. Woodring E. Wright in a statement released > by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "The > potential long-term applications are simply staggering," said Wright, a > professor of cell biology and neuroscience. The study was a > collaborative effort involving researchers at the medical center and at > Geron Corp., in Menlo Park, California. > > Most cells will divide roughly 50 times in the laboratory before > entering a resting state known as senescence, a process that also occurs > in the body. For more than a decade, researchers have suspected that > telomeres, sections of DNA at the tips of chromosomes, control that > process. > > Like minutes ticking on a clock, a piece of telomere is lost each time > the cell divides. But some cells contain an enzyme, called telomerase, > that can re-build the telomere after cell division. > > In the new study, the gene for telomerase was inserted inside three > types of cells that don't normally carry the enzyme -- retinal pigment > epithelial cells, foreskin fibroblasts, and the vascular endothelial > cells -- or those lining blood vessels. In contrast with cultured cells > that have telomere shortening, the genetically engineered cells > continued to vigorously divide and have long telomeres. > > The treated cell population doubled at least 20 more times than normal > and continues to grow, according to the report. The new findings confirm > that telomeres are the "clock" that keeps cells from growing out of > control, according to an editorial by Titia de Lange, of the Laboratory > for Cell Biology and Genetics at The Rockefeller University in New York. > And that mechanism has all "the makings of a powerful tumor suppressor > system," de Lange wrote. > > "The results should strengthen the determination of those who are > searching for telomerase inhibitors as potential anti-cancer agents." > SOURCE: Science (1998;279:349-352, 334-335) > >
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