As reported in Betterhumans, new research suggests that tweaking a single gene could increase your lifespan without any significant tradeoffs.
Research published in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Pennsylvania State University and University of Connecticut Health Center researchers confirms previous studies that mutations in the “I’m Not Dead Yet” (INDY) gene shows that “…it is possible for a single mutation to delay aging without any detrimental side effects,” says Joao Magalhaes, a microbiologist working on the biology of aging at the University of Namur in Belgium. At least in fruit flies, that is. The researchers found that while INDY mutations caused a decreased slope in the mortality curve of fruit flies, this came without a reduction in metabolic rate, flight velocity or age-specific fecundity. “It is impossible to extrapolate these recent findings in flies to humans, and much work remains to be done,” says Magalhaes, but “genes that extend lifespan in animal models may one day help researchers develop interventions to delay human aging.”
Elixir Pharmaceuticals isn’t waiting; they’re already trying to “…produce [and] discover therapeutics that slow aging, forestall the disease and disability that accompany aging and extend life’s most productive period. Our mission is made possible by the recent discovery of genes that control aging. These discoveries have revolutionized aging research and for the first time enable a pharmaceutical approach to aging.” So far they’ve raised over $8 million in venture capital, maybe a company to keep an eye on…