No more DN-Age?

A vast number of biologists—and common people, for sure—have wondered for an extended period of time how does it happen that our DNA’s become older. Half of the answer of this enigma might have been already given; mitosis, the process through which cells divide to multiply themselves, produces a replication of DNA and, as a consequence, the shortening of telomeres, repetitive sequences of nucleotides (molecules that form DNA) at the end of each chromosome. This reduction of the telomeres leads to the ceasing of mitosis—therefore, those cells die—and our approach to death throughout time.

As the cause of aging has been discovered, of course, the eternal youth frenzy has turned into a massive phenomenon. A group of scientists from the biotech company Geron Corporation isolated a molecule called TA-65 from an herb named astralagus; what this molecule does is supposed to do is to enhance the action of telomerase, which is an enzyme that makes telomeres stay in our reproductive system; however, this outcome has not been studied more profoundly, so the product obtained from this experiment was brought into market as a nutritional supplement since they do not need approval from the FDA as medicines do. In the meantime, Geron pretends to address this result to the cure for cancer, given that it is related to cell division as well and by blocking telomerase in cancerous cells, they would die.

Provided that people who started taking TA-65 pills declared that they improved in athletic, visual and cognitive aspects, T.A. Sciences (an enterprise from New York from which Geron obtained the license for their product) decided to publish the results of this product in bones solidity, improvements on immune responses and evidences of aging. Meanwhile in Reno, Nevada, Sierra Sciences are developing a similar product that triggers telomerase as well and they hope to sell it as an approved drug.

Do you think that this will really be the “fountain of youth” or at least a step for discovering it?