We’ve Discovered the Fountain of Youth…..Kinda

SA–Could killing off these ‘zombie’ cells in the mice delay their premature descent into old age? The answer was yes. In a 2011 study, the team found that eliminating these ‘senescent’ cells forestalled many of the ravages of age. The discovery set off a spate of similar findings. In the seven years since, dozens of experiments have confirmed that senescent cells accumulate in ageing organs, and that eliminating them can alleviate, or even prevent, certain illnesses (see ‘Becoming undead’). This year alone, clearing the cells in mice has been shown to restore fitness, fur density and kidney function. It has also improved lung disease and even mended damaged cartilage. And in a 2016 study, it seemed to extend the lifespan of normally ageing mice.“Just by removing senescent cells, you could stimulate new tissue production,” says Jennifer Elisseeff, senior author of the cartilage paper and a biomedical engineer at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. It jump-starts some of the tissue’s natural repair mechanisms, she says.

It seems we have pinpointed the “Tough Guys” of the molecular biology. The normal life-cycle of a cell consist of them basically dividing and dying, At a certain point our cells decide they want to stop dividing and just chill, thus bringing us to the assholes – Senescent cells. These cells sit in our bodies without multiplying and lead to the ageing of our organs. So in steps humans to do what we do best – blow shit up (even things that are inside us).

By targeting these Senescent cells and destroying them, the idea is that this will stimulate new cell growth. Continuous new cells will keep our bodies and vital organs youthful- so the question is: Is this treatment legal in the NFL? because I’m pretty sure Tom Brady’s doing this. The more I think about it the more convinced I am. Please take your attention to Exhibit A:

He seems to improve in every physical aspect (including football statistics) every year and this cuts off in 2015. You could argue that going into 2018 hes at an all time high across the board. As a ~~Jets~~ Football fan, I think Goodell should start earning some of his new 200 million $$$ extension and open up BradyGate IV. All in good fun…..But seriously I’m pretty sure I just figured out his secret.

Anyway, little stipulation that I haven’t mentioned about this treatment is that its only been tested in mice. Its shown to work in mice (and Tom Brady) and its success has given it the green light to be tested on humans in small trials. Researchers seem rather confident:

Still, if any of the trials offer “a whiff of human efficacy”, says Unity’s president, Ned David, there will be a massive push to develop treatments and to better understand the fundamental process of ageing. Other researchers who study the process are watching closely. Senolytics are “absolutely ready” for clinical trials, says Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “I think senolytics are drugs that could come soon and be effective in the elderly now, even in the next few years.”

Yeah, the elderly,….all of Hollywood probably already placed their down payments. The second question to ponder on is how many bazillions of dollars this treatment gonna cost if it passes trials and gets released to the general public. It will be a straight Game of Thrones battle by the big pharma companies to get this in doctors playbooks. Still a long way from that point, unfortunately many studies that show success in mice do not translate to humans. Something to keep an eye on are all the “non-obvious” affects this human intervention will have on our bodies, with all good comes the unknown. It’s still amazing how science is able to pinpoint this microbiological behavior and have the potential to significantly alter physical health. Reminds me of the time I crushed that science project in elementary school.