Among the many parts of the body that have been targets for aging therapies, from senescent cells to built-up protein, telomeres have attracted relatively little attention. That’s despite the role that shortened telomeres appear to play in the progression of aging and its associated decline in health. There are reasons for this, but now at least one group of experts is defying the orthodoxy to create a way to extend telomeres (https://longevity.technology/news/telomere-boosting-mrna-therapeutic-turns-back-the-aging-clock/).
Telomeres are important because they protect our DNA. As our cells divide, they ensure that genetic information is preserved and passed on, but in the process, the telomeres become shorter and less effective. Eventually, as we age, the telomeres become so short that they no longer provide protection. Divided cells no longer keep their important genetic information. Instead, they become senescent, which means they malfunction and potentially cause damage to the rest of the body.
For many years, it was thought there was no way to extend telomeres again after they had been shortened. A study from the 1990s suggested that telomeres could be linked to cancer, which understandably made scientists reluctant to try to grow them. Then Dr. Glenn Markov and Dr. John Ramunas, the cofounders of the company Rejuvenation Technologies, probed a little deeper.
They found that telomerase, the enzyme that helps keep telomeres at the correct length, could be associated with cancer when it became a permanent presence. However, this didn’t mean that transient telomerase, the kind activated by stem cells on a temporary basis when telomeres were starting to shrink to a dangerously short length, had the same impact. That meant that producing artificial telomerase may have therapeutic benefits as long as it wasn’t allowed to remain in the cells.
Eventually, this led to the development of an mRNA therapy that could be delivered through lipid nanoparticles, a safer and more effective method than the traditional viral approach. This introduced synthetic telomerase into the body, which then helped the telomeres grow back to a healthy length without remaining there forever.
Rejuvenation Technologies has several projects underway, including focusing on diseases of the liver and lungs. There have been some successful trials, but the new therapies haven’t quite made it to being tested on humans yet. The cofounders hope that their ongoing progress will continue to attract funding and attention to their work on improving the human lifespan.
