Lifeboat Foundation

What keeps some immune systems youthful and effective in warding off age-related diseases? In a new paper published in Cellular & Molecular Immunology, USC Stem Cell scientist Rong Lu and her collaborators point the finger at a small subset of blood stem cells, which make an outsized contribution to maintaining either a youthful balance or an age-related imbalance of the two main types of immune cells: innate and adaptive.

Innate immune cells serve as the body’s first line of defense, mobilizing a quick and general attack against invading germs. For germs that evade the body’s innate immune defenses, the second line of attack consists of adaptive immune cells, such as B cells and T cells that rely on their memory of past infections to craft a specific and targeted response. A healthy balance between innate and adaptive immune cells is the hallmark of a youthful immune system—and a key to longevity.

“Our study provides compelling evidence that when a small subset of blood stem cells overproduces innate immune cells, this drives the aging of the immune system, contributes to disease, and ultimately shortens the lifespan,” said Lu, who is an associate professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, biomedical engineering, medicine, and gerontology at USC, and a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Scholar. Lu is also a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The generation and maintenance of protective immunity is a dynamic interplay between host and environment that is impacted by age. Understanding fundamental changes in the healthy immune system that occur over a lifespan is critical in developing interventions for age-related susceptibility to infections and diseases. Here, we use multi-omic profiling (scRNA-seq, proteomics, flow cytometry) to examined human peripheral immunity in over 300 healthy adults, with 96 young and older adults followed over two years with yearly vaccination. The resulting resource includes scRNA-seq datasets of 16 million PBMCs, interrogating 71 immune cell subsets from our new Immune Health Atlas. This study allows unique insights into the composition and transcriptional state of immune cells at homeostasis, with vaccine perturbation, and across age. We find that T cells specifically accumulate age-related transcriptional changes more than other immune cells, independent from inflammation and chronic perturbation. Moreover, impaired memory B cell responses to vaccination are linked to a Th2-like state shift in older adults’ memory CD4 T cells, revealing possible mechanisms of immune dysregulation during healthy human aging. This extensive resource is provided with a suite of exploration tools at https://apps.allenimmunology.org/aifi/insights/dynamics-imm-health-age/ to enhance data accessibility and further the understanding of immune health across age.

A.W.G. serves on the scientific advisory boards of ArsenalBio and Foundery Innovations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnlS1ATi5qU

Haven’t heard from Bill Andrews in awhile.

BiOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough 10% with code Modern10 https://bioptimizers.com/modern. This video brought to you by BiOptimizers.
Here we talk with Dr Bill Andrews all about telomeres, why they are on the critical path of aging and finding a way to lengthen them is required in an complete longevity solution.
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Continue reading “Lengthening Telomeres To Rewind the Clock of Aging” »

It is well-established that chronic MSK pain is the key factor for physical disability in the adult population. ¹⁹ The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 20–33% (over 1.71 billion individuals) of the global population suffers from chronic MSK pain. ²⁰ This type of disorder is characterized by acute or chronic pain in MSK structures, which involve muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and nerves. ²¹ The most common conditions responsible for visits to a physician’s office are OA, rheumatoid arthritis, myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), and low back and neck pain. ²² Less common incidents are generally accompanying with injuries like of tendon sprains, ligament tears, muscle tears, fractures, and similar damage during sports. ²⁰

If left untreated, these conditions progressively increase suffering, disability, and drug consumption, which subsequently diminish an individual’s quality of life. ²³ This also translates to a main community health problem due to significant high expenses for health-care systems and insurance for disability. Advanced age may remain the top variable associated with the increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and MSK pain; however, these conditions may still unfold at any given age for various reasons. Therefore, every individual is at risk of experiencing MSK pain throughout an entire lifetime. ²⁴ Acute pain can become chronic due to numerous factors. The level of intensity, site, and time of noxious stimuli are dictated by the interplay between mechanical, chemical, and thermal receptors and immune cells. ²⁵ Under standard conditions, noxious stimuli and painful sensations gradually decrease with the progression of healing.

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Aging senescent cells do not become hypometabolic.

Instead they become HYPERmetabolic, burning energy faster than their younger selves.

This likely steals energy for other useful cellular functions, possibly accounting for their aberrant behaviors.

Continue reading “The brain–body energy conservation model of aging” »

ROCHESTER — How long can you stand on one leg?

The answer to that question is linked with aging and one’s risk of falling, new research out of Mayo Clinic finds. The paper “Age-related changes in gait, balance, and strength parameters: A cross-sectional study” appears in the journal PLOS ONE today, Oct. 23.

BIOHACKER Bryan Johnson who’s shelling out millions in his quest for immortality has revealed the exact steps he follows to reverse his hair loss and get rid of greys.

The tech-tycoon, 47, claimed he’s been able to grow a full head of hair despite being “genetically bald” through a mix of supplements, red light therapy and customised hair oil.

Continue reading “Biohacker Bryan Johnson reveals how he ‘reversed hair loss & greying by 70%’” »

In this episode of the Longevity Optimization Podcast, Dr. DeGray discusses groundbreaking research in aging and longevity, focusing on combination therapies, the hallmarks of aging, and the potential of stem cell and gene therapies. He emphasizes the importance of rejuvenation over merely slowing aging and explores the role of the immune system in health. The conversation also touches on biological age testing, lifestyle factors, and the future of gene therapy in enhancing longevity.

Aubrey de Grey is a British biomedical gerontologist and the founder of the SENS Research Foundation. He is a leading advocate for regenerative medicine, focusing on reversing the effects of aging by repairing cellular damage. Known for his bold vision of life extension, de Grey believes that with advanced therapies, humans could significantly extend their lifespan. He is the co-author of Ending Aging, and his work continues to shape the future of longevity science.

Continue reading “Exploring Aging and Aging Interventions with Aubrey de Grey” »