Drosophila Research Working to Combat Aging

As if Drosophila have not contributed enough to the field of genetics, they are once again being used as a model organism for genetic research. In a recent study, these flies are being analyzed for transcriptome changes that are associated with increased longevity and lower odds of premature aging. As organisms age, their organs begin to malfunction and they are susceptible to conditions such as Sarcopenia, which a condition where skeletal muscle begins to lose its mass and function. This is commonly seen in humans, other mammals, and even flies. The research with Drosophila has revealed that this deteriorating muscle undergoes many changes in gene expression during the aging process. To test their hypothesis, researchers over-expressed a gene in Drosophila that coded for a resistance against glutathione, an antioxidant that causes the muscular deterioration associated with aging. The researchers found that this indeed led to an increased lifespan.

The fact that Drosophila are still being used as model organisms over 100 years after heir first use really amazes me. This research is amazingly useful as well. In the short term, being able to expand the lifespan of fruit flies and other experimental organisms would allow for maximum data collection in terms of scientific experiments. However, the findings of this experiment may also open the door for the next billion dollar industry if this anti-aging process is made possible in humans. The promise of being younger for longer is something that many people would pay absurd amounts to achieve, and whoever is the first to make this possible will have quite the retirement fund.

Lean, Mean, Helping Machine

One of the fears many people have while aging is the loss of physical mobility on top of common aches and pains that come with old age. Several scientists at the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife are working on a project that looks into the genetics of people with lean body mass and how having such genetics can help deter physical deterioration of ones body during aging. Since lean mass is associated with muscle mass these scientist have been looking at those who have inherited the genes of lean mass to find possible treatments for aging folks who have not been so lucky to have this gene passed to them. One of the most common conditions that older people have that causes their muscle mass to be reduced significantly is sarcopenia; losing high amounts of muscle mass opens the door for other physical problems with ones body. This is where the scientist hope that by finding the exact genes involved in lean body mass will allow researchers to develop therapies of a sort that’ll enhance this gene into those without. This study is being done on a very large scale since it effects many people with a total of over 50 individual studies being done on this topic with the help of data given by nearly 100,000 participants. Since the loss of muscle mass as age increases is no new issue the scientists were also able to gather data from already discovered information to survey with their findings. The Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife plans to continue working on this project and hopes to find a way for people to stay physically well for as long as possible through their lives.