Strategies for Engineering Negligent Senescence

I know this is an engineering website, but if you'll allow me to take you back to middle school history class just for a moment.

Ponce de Leon is an intriguing figure in international history. You probably know him as the guy who was searching for The Fountain of Youth-reputed by native Caribbean peoples to be on an island named Bimini-but ended up landing on an enormous peninsula and naming it La Florida after a celebration of the Christian holiday Easter. Ponce never found his Fountain of Youth; instead he was forced to make do with being a ruthless conquistador.

However, the fact the Ponce was truly seeking the Fountain of Youth is in historical contention. He never mentions it in any of his letters or writing, but several crew members and friends corroborate that Ponce was indeed seeking a cure to his aging complexion. Turns out he was looking too far west, as Bimini is located about 50 miles west of Miami, and there an underground network of tunnels reveal a unique mineral spring located deep in a mangrove swamp. It's known as The Healing Hole and this is probably the most likely explanation for the Fountain of Youth.

It's unfortunate that Ponce hadn't found a true Fountain of Youth, but at some point a real-life 'cure' to aging is going to be found, and those who discover it will be wildly wealthy. There are hundreds of anti-aging products currently available, yet none of them are significant because none of them work. Anti-wrinkle creams. Water remedies. Ionic foot baths. Even growth hormone treatments, which will increase muscle and reduce fat at nearly any age, comes with a probability for serious complications.

So medical scientists are beginning to look at some unlikely sources to discover how to slow the oxidation of human cells, tissues, and organs. A few organisms of our biological world enjoy the comfort of negligible senescence, or having virtually no depreciation in life quality after maturing into an adult. The Adalbra giant tortoise lives 250 years with no increase in mortality throughout its life. Lobsters live more than 100 years with regularity and quahog clams live more than 500 years. Hydra, a type of hydrozoa, are immortal. From researching these creatures, several anti-aging techniques have been theorized, and are known as strategies for engineering negligent senescence (SENS). Procedures to protect cell mitochondria, remove intra- and extracellular 'junk,' and revitalize fatigued tissues with stem cells are all on the theoretical horizon, but last month researchers at the University of New South Wales were able to restore two-year-old mice to the same physical condition they were in at six months of age.

Their study focused on the increasingly-inefficient communication between a cell's nucleus and mitochondria. Communication failures occur due to a decreased reservoir of NAD, a coenzyme responsible for carrying electrons. By using a solution that mimics the effects of diet and exercise, the two-year-old mice became more responsive to insulin and also had decreased inflammation. The mice experienced a significant increase in energy, muscle strength, and endurance. A set of young mice experienced exceptional atrophy-becoming a type of 'super mice.' (Or Mighty Mouse, if you will.)

Human trials are slated for 2014, and the debate over the ethics of true anti-aging can be expected to ramp up as well. While the medical field is highly supportive of SENS efforts in light of oncology procedures and other cellular degenerative diseases, using similar techniques on individuals who simply desire a more youthful and supple appearance isn't considered a priority. Furthermore, many biogerontologists feel as though attaining true anti-aging is inevitable, but ultimately pointless if many other life-depreciating diseases can be alleviated before anti-aging technology is readily available. It's possible though, that by dedicating more current resources for SENS, those who can afford to become younger will make a program profitable enough so that those who truly need it can access this biological engineering. Once again, it's a delicate medical balance between money and care.

(At left: Li Ching-Yuen, who reputedly lived to be 256 years old)

After such a thoughtful discourse, there can only be one source for further enlightenment: South Park. In this clip, technicians uncover a cure for AIDS: pure cash. While clearly an allegory for unfortunate medical truths, SENS research is another victim of this consideration.

Resources

McGill Office for Science and Study - The Only Magic Out There...

Wikipedia - Juan Ponce de Leon; SENS

WildQuest - Bimini

Huff Post - Researchers Reverse Aging Process...