StemCell Therapy

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With several companies on the verge of mass-marketing genetic tests that claim to read agings cellular clock, some researchers say the science isnt yet ready for prime-time use.

The tests measure telomeres, or protein sheaths that prevent the tips of chromosomes from fraying. As time passes, they grow shorter, a process hastened by stress, environmental insult and disease. If they get too short, cell breakdown follows. A large body of research links telomere deterioration to deteriorating health.

That makes telomeres an alluring target for quantifying the ravages of aging, which have proved surprisingly difficult to measure. But the clinical use of telomeres has yet to be determined.

Aging is extremely complex. Its going to involve many behavioral and genetic factors, said Boston University gerontologist Thomas Perls, who runs the worlds largest study of centenarian health. Its going to be unwise to try and pin it down on one particular marker. There are going to be many different factors.

Telomere tests came to public notice this week after an article in The Independent described a test being developed by Life Length, a Madrid startup company. In the article, University of Texas Southwestern geneticist and Life Length consultant Jerry Shay extolled the tests potential.

When youre looking at a whole bunch of people, you conclude that shorter telomeres are bad. But that doesnt mean you can take an individual and tell them their risk.

Telomere length is actually a pretty good representation of your biological age, he said. People might say If I know Im going to die in 10 years, Ill spend all my money now. Or, If Im going to live for 40 more years Ill be more conservative in my lifestyle.'

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To Measure Longevity, Common Sense Trumps Genetic Test

This entry was posted on May 22, 2015 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Longevity Genetics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |