There is a vast amount of anti-aging hype out there. Some of this involves stem cell-related approaches. In posts in this category Professor Paul Knoepfler fact-checks the hype, focusing on data.
What if there was a rejuvenation gene that made adult cells younger without turning them into potentially destructive embryonic, fetal, or tumor cells? It could be transformative for how we think about cellular aging and have many impacts on health. A new preprint posted on June 6th reports on a possible rejuvenation gene. The gene […]
Longevity research is a growing part of the overall regenerative medicine field. Rewinding, when I first started blogging here on The Niche in 2010, longevity was more of a fringe field. In just 15 years, it has become a generally legit area, even if one often filled with hype. It has its share of scammers
Most of us want longevity, especially if our quality of life remains generally solid as we age. The combination of length and quality of life is sometimes called “healthspan.” How do we get the maximum health span? Easier said than done. Not all of the obstacles are biological either. Unfortunately, accompanying all the legitimate research
Weekly reads: Topol on longevity biz, Peter Marks out at FDA, timeless NIH grant advice Read More »
When I think of so-called aging supplements, visions of snake oil dance in my head. Possible benefits of supplements more generally have mostly not held up to long-term research. Supplements have risks too and so do purported longevity supplements. These pills claiming to fight aging are more in the realm of stem cell supplements that
Weekly reads: Altos Labs aging supplements pub, destructive NIH cuts, FDA warning, HSCs Read More »
Professor Charles Brenner of City of Hope does great research, but I also applaud his efforts against longevity hype. Recently, Brenner and James Timmons publicly questioned some of the work of Harvard Professor David Sinclair. It’s a notable case of academics intensely disagreeing in the public space. Background While it’s interesting, it’s also a somewhat
Perspectives as Charles Brenner challenges David Sinclair on longevity claims Read More »
I’ve written before about concerns related to longevity research hype from Harvard professor David Sinclair. The media often eats up statements about longevity from Sinclair and a few other scientists in that space. There is also endless coverage of the latest exploits of wealthy health influencer Bryan Johnson. For that reason it was refreshing to
Refreshing WSJ piece on longevity ‘guru’ David Sinclair Read More »
Anti-aging might already be the big regenerative medicine story of 2024 and it’s only early March. Anti-aging hype going to the dogs? One of my 20 stem cell and regenerative medicine predictions for 2024 was that longevity would continue to make big news including in some not-so-great ways. In just over two months there has
Would you guess that Elon Musk might be into using biotechnology in a high-profile way to try to live far longer than usual, say to age 150? That would have been my assumption. There are countless things about Elon Musk that I really don’t like. I also don’t see many issues on which we are
Something Elon Musk & I agree on: pushing back on anti-aging bluster Read More »
What happens during brain aging and how can we tell if dementia is coming? Are there particular early hallmarks? There are an increasing number of medical tests for predicting or detecting dementia. Alzheimer’s disease can often be detected early. But what do patients or their doctors do with such information? Until recently there weren’t any
Weekly reads: brain aging, perinatal stem cell clinics, $1M lab meat fine bill Read More »
Can you paradoxically kill yourself early by trying to cheat Death? For example, die through risky anti-aging approaches? The question came to mind because such longevity efforts have become more extreme. They also get more hype in the media. I’ve been following the anti-aging space mainly because many interventions involve risky stem cell injections. Those
Can trying to cheat death paradoxically kill you sooner? Read More »