Immortal Worms, Telomeres & Cellular Clean UpIt may surprise you, but in the race to immortality, humans are in second place. But who is this agile and fleet-footed creature out- distancing we ever-powerful humans, you ask?
Why that would be none other than the noble Planarian Worm. Yes, in 2012, scientists from the University of Nottingham found a species of Planarian worm that could perpetually heal itslef
and divide.
“Usually when stem cells divide — to heal wounds, or during reproduction or for growth — they start to show signs of aging. This means that the stem cells are no longer able to divide and so become
less able to replace exhausted specialized cells in the tissues of our bodies,” explained researcher Aziz Aboobaker. “Our aging skin is perhaps the most visible example of this effect. Planarian worms and their stem cells are somehow able to avoid the aging process and to keep their cells dividing.”
Cross-section of a Planarian Flatworm. Photo from The School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois
Essentially, one of the keys to immortality lies in Telomeres — which are essentially a region of nucleotide sequences that act as a protective cap, deterring the degradation of genes near the end of chromosomes by allowing their ends to shorten. Huh? In other words, as Science Daily points out, the Telomere is like the protective plastic cap at the end of your shoelace; each time a cell divides, the Telomere protects it from fraying or going on a 5-day bender. However, each time it does divide, your Telomere caps are reduced.
Theoretically, then, if someone can figure out a way to preserve or elongate these Telomeres, then we would be one step closer to a veritable genetic fountain of youth. Unfortunately, however, the science is still scant. Back in 1996, team of Nobel Prize-winning scientists explained that “telomere length is clearly not directly correlated with
organismal aging” [PDF].
However, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak won the Nobel Price for Physiology and Medicine in 2009 for their work, which found that telomere length could potentially be
maintained by catalyzing the activity of an enzyme known as “telomerase.” However, as Science Daily points out, in most organisms, the enzyme is really only turned on during those early developmental years. Planarian worms have managed to outfox this, and by studying the mechanics of their division and how they protect against degradation, Google Calico and anyone else for that matter could be on the right track.
Human Chromosomes capped by telomeres. Photo courtesy of U.S Department of Energy’s Human Genome Program Of course, again, real progress in longevity research requires time and money. Organizations and companies have been trying to tackle this problem for years, and many have been rebuffed.
For example, in 2008, pharma giant
GlaxoSmithKline shelled out $720 million for a promising drug, SRT501, a modified version of substance found in red wine that has been linked to anti-aging. Two years later, Glaxo gave up. But that was five years ago, and this is the company that managed to map the entire planet
in a few years. It’s hard to imagine Google will be pumping much money into Calico at first, but if it does, it could make a real difference. For now, sources tell us that Calico will primarily function as an R&D group, exploring the latest in longevity
science. However, it won’t rule out the possibility of manufacturing their own products down the line.
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Topic: Calico: Googles ambitious new project to stop illnes and aging (immortal life?) (Read 1469 times)