This American, through eternal youth, became the first genetically modified person

More than once, the inventions of science fiction authors have become a reality thanks to scientists. The phone, the submarine, the missiles and many other things. And more than once, an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bfantastic novels has found a real basis: this time, in the field of genetic engineering. It is possible that the mythical “fountain of eternal youth” has already been found and is due to geneticists. After all, although the precise mechanisms of aging are not known, it has been shown that the processes of skin wrinkling directly depend on the state of the telomeres, the final sections of the chromosomes that, the longer they are, the longer they allow a person to live.

Elizabeth Parrish, director of BioViva USA Inc., says that her team has developed a new method that makes it possible to increase telomere length quickly, efficiently and safely. O awesome.club is in favor of this type of new scientific discoveries and that is why we want to share with you this new advance in the field of gene therapy.

In 2016, Elizabeth Parrish, 45, director of BioViva USA Inc., said she had successfully passed a course of anti-aging gene therapy. It consisted of eliminating two main effects of the aging process: shortening of telomeres and loss of muscle mass.

Telomeres are zones of chromosomes responsible for the number of cell divisions before their destruction. Although each individual’s telomere length is unique, a person is born with a telomere length of 15-20 thousand nucleotide pairs and dies with a length of between 5-7 thousand. Its length gradually decreases due to a process called the Hayflick limit: it is the number of cell divisions that equals, more or less, 50. After that, the aging process begins in the cells. During studies, it was discovered that DNA can be recovered thanks to the enzyme telomerase, which, interacting with telomeres, “returns” to its original length.

The telomere recovery process is currently activated by a modified RNA carrying the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene. After the RNA is introduced into the telomere, telomerase activity increases for 1-2 days. During this time, it actively lengthens the telomeres and then breaks down. The resulting cells behave similarly to “young” ones and divide many times more intensively than those in the control group.

Thanks to this method, it was possible to extend telomeres by more than 1,000 nucleotides, which is approximately equivalent to several years of human life. This process is safe for health and does not lead to unnecessary modifications and mutations of cells, since the immune system does not have time to react to the RNA introduced into the body.

The SpectraCell laboratory has confirmed that the success of this therapy is possible. In 2015, before its start, blood tests were carried out on Elizabeth: the telomere length of leukocytes was 6.71 thousand pairs of nucleotides. In 2016, after the end of therapy, again, a sample of Parrish blood was taken for analysis: the length of leukocyte telomeres increased to 7.33 thousand pairs. And that means that the leukocytes in the blood of that person subjected to the test “rejuvenated” approximately 10 years. The therapy was carried out in Colombia, since in the United States such experiments are prohibited.

The results of this study were confirmed by two independent organizations: the Belgian non-profit organization HEALES (Healthy Life Extension Company) and the British Biogerontology Research Foundation (Biogerontology Research Foundation). The results have not yet been evaluated by experts.

The second aim of the therapy was to try to suppress the production of the protein myostatin: it inhibits the growth and differentiation of muscle tissue. It is formed in the muscles and then released into the blood. In humans, myostatin is encoded in the MSTN gene. Animal studies have already shown that blocking myostatin function leads to a significant increase in lean body mass with almost complete absence of adipose tissue.

About this, Elizabeth herself believes: “The current treatment of ‘lengthening’ the telomeres, for the time being, only proposes changing the patient’s lifestyle: giving up meat, playing sports and avoiding stressful situations. But this is ineffective. However, advances in biotechnology have become the best solution and if the results of the experiment performed on me are confirmed, we have made a breakthrough for science.”

This therapy will help to carry out new experiments in the study of new drugs, modeling
diseases more quickly and efficiently, and in the future it could also be used to prolong life.

Perhaps Elizabeth Parrish became a pioneer in the field of gene therapy associated with the fight against aging, and even more so, this could be the first step towards immortality. And you, what do you think? Are we close to a scientific breakthrough or is it a “for English to see” movement on a large scale? Leave your opinion in the comments below.