The science of aging.

 

Announcements:

- Donna announced that there will be a Group 1 meeting following the luncheon meeting.

- Gordon reminded everyone about the upcoming Pub Night.

- Dhanni reported that our club has collected $16,000 in sponsorships and cash for the TV Auction.

- Gerd announced that in order to accommodate incoming VP Danny Cassidy, the board meetings will be held on the last Thursday of the month commencing January.

 

Mike Mushet conducted the Marbelous Draw which was won, and lost, by Arthur.

 

Sgt-at-Arms Al Meredith levied some fines and asked for Happy Bucks:

All were fined for not wearing poppies over the objections of Barry Smith who pointed out that they fall off too easily and Jack Holman who stated that the law provides that poppies are not to be worn until November 6^th. These complaints fell upon the deaf ears of our beloved Sgt-at-Arms.

Arthur tossed in happy bucks for his Sault Ste. Marie visit and speaking engagement.

Dhanni was happy that she wasn’t fined.

Roland was happy that he’d just sold his house in Utah.

Carolyn was just happy.         

 

Program:

Gord Brown introduced today’s speaker, our very own Arthur Retnakaran, who spoke on the topic of “The Science of Aging”. Arthur received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin and was a research scientist with the Forestry Lab in Sault Ste. Marie from 1968 to 2004, working on Insect Molecular Biology.

Unfortunately, the reporter was operating on High School science, so this report is the dumbed down version of Arthur’s scholarly talk.

Arthur commenced his talk with a summary of the molecular make-up of living creatures, pointing out that the DNA template exists in the nucleus of every cell and is fed by the protein produced by the nucleus. At the genetic level, every gene is composed of three parts: the promoter, the coding region, and the termination sequence. The promoter turns the gene on and off, whereas through the coding region the cell can be programmed for different uses. Therefore, a cell can be coded to be a skin cell, a muscle cell, an organ cell, a nerve cell, etc. Genetics affects aging as well as everything else in the body, and what scientists are trying to achieve through various techniques is a balance between the death of cells and the creation of ‘immortal’ cells. As cells die, the body dies. Cells becoming ‘immortal’ is another term for becoming cancerous. So, the goal is to maintain our cells’ health.

DNA damage can be caused both by aging and by damaging agents (free radicals). Examples of damaging agents would be smoking and radiation. An indicator of aging is the Sirt 1 enzyme. The Sirt 1 level goes down as we age.

Arthur then provided examples of how different parts of our bodies age, and how and why this happens.

The brain is the most complex organ of the body. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that results from clumps of protein growing in the brain and damaging brain cells. Scientists are looking at solutions to this brain disease, such as introducing inhibitors that can control these adverse effects. Feeding of the brain’s neurons is one possible solution. Coconut oil is rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) which feed the brain’s neurons.

The heart is a much simpler organ, but if it is starved of oxygen, it will also be damaged and age.

The pancreas controls insulin secretion. All cells require insulin or they will become starved. So, if the pancreas is damaged, the result is that the entire body will age through the condition known as Diabetes.

Arthritis is another condition that can contribute to aging through joint and bone damage. Hip replacements and similar relatively new procedures and drugs are being used to compensate for this aging factor.

Macular Degeneration represents an aging of the eye, which is related to the over expression of the VEGF gene.

So, to summarize, our genes control our bodily functions and, as they are damaged in one fashion or another, our bodies begin to break down. Accordingly, the scientific community is concentrating on finding ways to reduce and repair this genetic damage, and the future looks very promising in this regard.

There are basically three major methods that are being researched to combat aging:

1. Stem Cell Research - Stem cells can be programmed into becoming and therefore replacing or increasing the numbers of those types of cells that have been damaged, whether they be skin cells, nerve cells, brain cells, or any other type of cells in the patient’s body.

2. Gene Editing - This process allows scientists to deactivate, reactivate or replace genes, i.e. to repair the actual DNA of the patient, in order to cure diseases. This type of genetic engineering is a very promising approach that may very soon be able to cure such diseases as hemophilia.

3. Immunotherapy - This process involves producing antibodies in a test animal with respect to certain diseases that can then be injected into the patient. Arthur told the story about a woman who thought that drinking and bathing in the blood of hundreds of murdered young women would keep her young. There appears to be some truth to this theory, since scientists have rejuvenated old mice by flowing blood into them from young mice. Furthermore, they have isolated the protein in the blood that causes this rejuvenation. It is the GDF11 protein, which researchers feel has the potential of rejuvenating an aging body.

Arthur summarized that old age is a disease caused by genetic defects, and that new genetic technologies are being developed in order to correct these defects and, hopefully, at least delay the aging process.

 

Dhanni thanked Arthur for a very interesting and informative talk, but told him that he left out the fact that stress also contributes to aging, but that a lot of sex and Jack Daniels can relieve that stress, or at least act as a pleasant diversion from the aging process.

Gerd terminated the meeting while this reporter’s mind was still struggling with his aging brain to comprehend what the heck Arthur had been talking about.