Lifeboat Foundation

A research team has identified a molecular target that could open up new therapeutic options to treat aging-associated diseases like Parkinson’s. Scientists at the University of Cologne have discovered how cells can eliminate mutated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells. Due to their evolutionary descent from bacteria, they still have genetic material packaged in chromosome-like structures (nucleoids). They convert the chemical energy in our food into a biologically usable form. A team of researchers from the University of Cologne’s Physiology Centre at the Faculty of Medicine, the Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research has now shown that mutations of the mtDNA lead to a local rearrangement of proteins in the mitochondrial membrane. The mutated mtDNA is targeted, eliminated, and subjected to autophagy, the cellular ‘waste disposal’. The results have appeared in Nature Communications under the title ‘Mitochondrial membrane proteins and VPS35 orchestrate selective removal of mtDNA’.

In many tissues, mutations in mtDNA accumulate as a result of normal aging. These kinds of mutations are an important cause of many aging-associated diseases. There are thousands of copies mtDNA in every cell, so mitochondrial function is only impaired when the percentage of mutated mtDNA molecules exceeds a certain threshold value. It has long been established that mitochondrial damage, including acute mtDNA damage, triggers the process of mitophagy. In this process, dysfunctional mitochondrial parts are selectively degraded and recycled.

Dr David Pla-Martin, the lead author of the current study, explained the details: ‘What is new in our study is that this mechanism does not affect the cells’ endowment with mitochondria, but only clears out the damaged mtDNA. By labelling neighbouring proteins — so-called proximity labelling — we showed that mtDNA damage leads to the recruitment of endosomes in close proximity to nucleoids.’ Their removal is coordinated by the interaction of the nucleoid protein Twinkle and the mitochondrial membrane proteins SAMM50 and ATAD3 controls their distribution, SAMM50 induces the release and transfer of the nucleoid to the so-called endosomes. ‘This additionally prevents the activation of an immune response. The protein VPS35, the main component of the retromer, mediates the maturation of early endosomes into late autophagy vesicles, where degradation and recycling ultimately take place,’ said Pla-Martin.

Large language models have advanced significantly in recent years (LLMs). Impressive LLMs have been revealed one after the other, beginning with OpenAI’s GPT-3, which generates exceptionally correct texts and ends with its open-source counterpart BLOOM. Language-related problems that were previously unsolvable had become simply a challenge for these systems.

All of this progress is made possible by the vast amount of data available on the Internet and the accessibility of powerful GPUs. As appealing as they may sound, training an LLM is an incredibly expensive procedure in terms of both data and technology needs. We’re talking about AI systems with billions of parameters, so feeding these models with enough data isn’t easy. However, once you do it, they give you a stunning performance.

Have you ever wondered where the development of “computing” gadgets began? Why did individuals devote so much time and energy to designing and constructing the first computers? We can presume it was not for the purpose of amusing people with video games or YouTube videos.

Harvard University geneticist Dr. David Sinclair’s lab is developing a cheek swab test kit so that you can check your biological age at home. You then get updates on how to slow down and reverse your aging.

Find out how fast you’re aging with Tally Health. The future of healthy aging is here.

“A world without heart attack and stroke” — New video from our 2022 #RejuvenationStartupSummit: Mike Kope, CEO of Corporate Affairs, Cyclarity Therapeutics — prevents age-related conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke by addressing the root cause. Enjoy!

Mike Kope, CEO of Cyclarity Therapeutics at Rejuvenation Startup Summit 2022.

Continue reading “Mike Kope at Rejuvenation Startup Summit 2022” »

“Leveraging a platform to develop therapeutics that render calcified tissue and organs supple again” — New video from our #RejuvenationStartupSummit: Matthias Breugelmans, CEO of Elastrin Therapeutics Inc… Enjoy!

Matthias Breugelmans, CEO of Elastrin Therapeutics at Rejuvenation Startup Summit 2022.

Continue reading “Matthias Breugelmans at Rejuvenation Startup Summit 2022” »

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found that a stress response in cells, when ‘switched on’ at a post-reproductive age, could be the key to slowing down aging and promoting longevity.

Longevity. Technology: In lab experiments on a type of roundworm that shares similarities with humans – paging C elegans – the NTU Singapore team found that switching on this stress response in aged worms by feeding them a high-glucose diet extended their lifespan as compared with worms fed a normal diet.

Publishing today in Nature Communications, the NTU team say this is the first time a link between this stress response and aging has been uncovered.

Patients with a specific form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, are also highly likely to have either underlying heart damage from heart failure and heart attacks, or advanced heart valve disease, or carotid artery disease associated with certain types of strokes, according to a new study from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

This research, published November 17 in BMJ Open Ophthalmology, is the first to identify which types of high-risk cardiovascular and carotid artery disease are linked to the eye disorder. The findings could prompt increased screening to save vision, diagnose undetected heart disease, and prevent adverse cardiovascular events.

“For the first time, we have been able to connect these specific high-risk cardiovascular diseases to a specific form of AMD, the one with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs),” explains lead author R. Theodore Smith, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Summary: A new study will investigate the genetic and biological mysteries of extreme longevity and healthy aging.

Source: american federation for aging research.

Decades of research will be aided by the results of a study launched today – the most ambitious ever conducted to uncover and understand the genetic and biological mysteries of exceptional longevity and healthy aging.

Transhumanists are redefining what it means to be human. This talk takes a deeper look at the movement and its implications for the future.
About this event.

From bionic eyes to designing new senses and extending life expectancy, transhumanists are redefining what it means to be human. This talk takes a deeper look at the movement and its implications for the future of humanity.

Continue reading “Transhumanism & The Future of Humanity” »