Reconsidering Alzheimer's Disease

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Reconsidering Alzheimer's Disease

In light of the underwhelming efficacy of human anti-Abeta clinical trials in the last several years, we are pleased to read the scientific community starting to reconsider the theory that amyloid beta (Abeta) is the primary causative factor in Alzheimer's disease. This paper is among several we've seen over the past year which criticizes the amyloid cascade hypothesis, and does a good job of balancing the supportive and contradictory evidence for the hypothesis.

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Has Human Longevity Really Plateaued?

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Has Human Longevity Really Plateaued?

Many in our community were distraught when a paper published in Nature not only said that the maximum human lifespan had plateaued but also set that maximum number to 115 years. Thankfully, many discerning scientists decided to spend their resources understanding the data, the claims, and drawing their own conclusions. In this article by Gizmodo writer Ryan F. Mandelbaum brings to the surfaces some issues found in the world of publishing research data.

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Does Older Age Result in Loss of Our Civil Rights?

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Does Older Age Result in Loss of Our Civil Rights?

Independence: That is just one of the many reason for wanting to live longer, healthier lives. In practice, elderly citizens from the United States and other nations can become vulnerable to extortion, manipulations and victims of unscrupulous guardians. The New Yorker's October 9, 2017 Issue contained an eye-opening article written by Rachel Aviv and titled: "How the Elderly Lose Their Rights."

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The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant

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The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant

It has been thirteen years since Nick Bostrom published The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant, a clear call to action regarding our relationship with aging and medical technology. Today we stand in the midst of revolutionary progress in biotechnology, and all of the old limits and incurable conditions might be addressed given sufficient funding and will. Has the public’s view of aging changed enough in the past thirteen years?

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Can We Cure Aging? - Analog Article

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Can We Cure Aging? - Analog Article

How can science fiction affect our view of what is possible? In this article, quantum physics Professor John G. Cramer explains how he came to care for the longevity field and interviews Gary Hudson of Oisín Biotechnologies, a company that could make his Sci-Fi dreams a reality.

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Redesigned Site: New Blog Style

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Redesigned Site: New Blog Style

What's new at Methuselah Foundation? What recent scientific data has you excited about the future of this field? What should I do in order to be a healthier longer live? These are questions we received on an on-going basis. That is why we've decided to change our blog in a way that adds value to our community. We will mainly act as an aggregator of media, with some original pieces sprinkled in between. We hope that this new format will have you coming back for more content!

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Vascular Tissue Challenge Update

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Vascular Tissue Challenge Update

Last June, the Methuselah Foundation and NASA officially launched the Vascular Tissue Challenge (VTC) at the White House Organ Summit, hosted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The VTC includes a $500,000 prize purse from NASA for the first teams that can successfully create thick (>1cm), vascularized tissues that remain functional and alive for more than 30 days. Along with this is the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space’s (CASIS) “Innovations in Space Award,” providing an additional $200,000 to support a research opportunity onboard the International Space Station’s National Laboratory!

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Organovo Collaborates With Professor Melissa Little for Kidney Tissue Research

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Organovo Collaborates With Professor Melissa Little for Kidney Tissue Research

SAN DIEGO and MELBOURNE, Australia and SPRINGFIELD, Va., Jan. 24, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Organovo Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONVO) (“Organovo”), a three-dimensional biology company focused on delivering scientific and medical breakthroughs using its 3D bioprinting technology, today announced a collaboration with Professor Melissa Little and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia to develop an architecturally correct kidney for potential therapeutic applications.  The collaboration has been made possible by a generous gift from the Methuselah Foundation (“Methuselah”) as part of its ongoing University 3D Bioprinter Program.

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Scientists Correct Mutated Gene that Causes Sickle Cell Disease in Stem Cells

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Scientists Correct Mutated Gene that Causes Sickle Cell Disease in Stem Cells

For the first time, scientists were able to correct the genetic mutation that causes sickle cell disease in stem cells.

In a collaborative effort, researchers at UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), and the University of Utah School of Medicine fixed the mutation in modified stem cells from patients with the condition using a CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing approach.

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NASA is offering a $500,000 prize to the first who can grow human organ tissue

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NASA is offering a $500,000 prize to the first who can grow human organ tissue

NASA is challenging teams to create thick, metabolically-functional human vascularized organ tissue in a controlled lab setting. It's called the Vascular Tissue Challenge, and the first three teams to succeed will split a total prize of $500,000. It's a challenge, but a necessary one for getting NASA one step closer to sending humans to Mars.

Watch the video HERE

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These companies search for a cure to aging– and their discoveries are amazing

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These companies search for a cure to aging– and their discoveries are amazing

The ideas surrounding life enhancement are not new—in fact, records show an interest in the mysteries surrounding human life for centuries.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the idea of creating a life, while Doctor Who achieves life extension through regeneration. Wolverine's mutations let him heal away his problems, and Captain America froze himself into the 21st century. Just look at almost any Star Trek episode and you’ll see how fascinated people are with the idea of extending life.

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Irish scientists discover way to 'print' new bones to help those with deformities and catastrophic injuries

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Irish scientists discover way to 'print' new bones to help those with deformities and catastrophic injuries

Irish scientists have developed a revolutionary new process which allows them to make human bones using 3D printing.

The new process could eliminate the need for bone grafts and could even make new joints to replace hips and knees and offers hope to those with large and complex bone defects or who have suffered catastrophic injuries.

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Making memories stronger and more precise during aging

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Making memories stronger and more precise during aging

When it comes to the billions of neurons in your brain, what you see at birth is what get — except in the hippocampus. Buried deep underneath the folds of the cerebral cortex, neural stem cells in thehippocampus continue to generate new neurons, inciting a struggle between new and old as the new attempts to gain a foothold in the memory-forming center of the brain.

In a study published online today in Neuron, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers atMassachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in collaboration with an international team of scientists found they could bias the competition in favor of the newly generated neurons.

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Michael Sefton to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

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Michael Sefton to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

University of Toronto biomedical engineering University Professor Michael Sefton (IBBME, ChemE) has been named this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). The award, issued by the organization’s Americas chapter, recognizes his immense contributions to the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

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Functional human tissue-engineered liver generated from stem, progenitor cells

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Functional human tissue-engineered liver generated from stem, progenitor cells

A research team led by investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles has generated functional human and mouse tissue-engineered liver from adult stem and progenitor cells. Tissue-engineered Liver (TELi) was found to contain normal structural components such as hepatocytes, bile ducts and blood vessels. The study has been published online in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

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Methuselah Fellowship Award Winner Tackles Macular Degeneration 

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Methuselah Fellowship Award Winner Tackles Macular Degeneration 

Typically, a fellowship and participation in a research study to cure a major disease would occur years after completing undergrad, possibly even after earning a PhD. But Jennifer DeRosa is not a typical student.

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