Anti-aging science gets boost from Obama Stimulus

By Dick Pelletier

      

    When Cambridge University geneticist Aubrey de Grey declared that the first person to reach 1,000 years of age has already been born, many conservatives thought he was too optimistic; but a growing number of forward-thinking scientists now embrace de Grey's view that an indefinite lifespan may soon become possible for many people alive today.

    Even the U.S. government finds the field promising. Federal funding for "the biology of aging" has been running at about $2.4 billion a year, according to the National Institutes of Health and the recent stimulus package has substantially increased this budget.

    So far, the most promising results have come from genetics labs in major universities, where anti-aging scientists have extended lives of animals, mostly through a variety of gene therapies. But altering genes is not the only field that promises longer lifespans.

    Researchers around the world are creating breakthroughs in regenerative medicine techniques, which include nanotechnology devices that enhance healthy tissues and destroy cancer cells; and stem cells that regrow damaged, and aging organs, muscles, bones, and skin.

    Another development that will play an important role in achieving indefinite lifespans include changing today's mostly "reactive" healthcare to more "proactive" regimens. One way to accomplish this is to provide affordable personal genomes that will allow doctors to prevent many sicknesses before they happen.

    It currently costs around $100,000 for genome sequencing, but experts predict prices will drop to $1,000 or less by 2015 or before. Patients will one day swipe their genome card at a clinic, become aware of potential diseases, and receive drugs to prevent those diseases from ever happening.

    Beyond obvious health benefits, these technologies will also combat rising healthcare costs, which currently exceed $2 trillion annually; mostly from recurring treatments for tissue failure. With replaceable tissues and organs available, millions will be saved from premature death.

    But some predict a problem with so many people recapturing their health and living longer. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Social Security and Medicare spending will double by 2030, but fewer younger Americans will be around to foot the bill.

    However forward thinkers believe that as older people opt for "rejuvenation," their bodies will become stronger; they will remain in good health longer, and will require less need for financial support. In fact, experts predict we'll one day see centenarians with bodies resembling a 20-something becoming bored with retirement and seeking new careers.

    "There are many different components of aging and we are chipping away at all of them," said Institute for Molecular Manufacturing's Robert Freitas. "It will take time and, if you put it in terms of big developments of modern technology, say the telephone; we are still about 10 years off from Alexander Graham Bell shouting to his assistant through that first device. Still, in the not-to-distant future, the diseases of aging will be cured."

     Healthcare advances predicted for the next two decades hold great promise for future generations that may never know what it's like to suffer disease and pain; or grow old and die. Though visionaries differ on how many healthy years we can expect from an indefinite lifespan, most are certain that this "magical future" will soon become reality.

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.