Articles
Laser Research Grant
The Immortality Institute is proud to announce that funding for Laser Ablation of Lipofuscin research was matched in full. Generous donors gave a total of $10,077.80. The Immortality Institute matched $8,000 of that total, which means Nason Schooler will have $18,077.80 at his disposal for this research project. In addition, because of this funding drive, the SENS Foundation will receive an additional $9,038.90 from Peter Theil's 50% matching grant. This money will be available for general SENS Foundation research.
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| Lipofuscin build-up indicated by blue and yellow granules. David L Mcllwain & Victoria B Hoke |
Wikipedia article on lipofuscin
The build-up of lipofuscin results in malfunctioning cells that are implicated in many human diseases. It is theorized that cleaning-up or clearing-out lipofuscin will help return cells to a healthier state. See here: intracellular junk and aging. The accumulation cellular waste – lipofuscin in particular – might be one of the key processes that leads to age related disease. An in depth summary can be found here: Article on lipofuscin's impact on age-related disease. Therefore, the proposed research could lead to important breakthroughs in regenerative medicine.
This research proposes to further study the use of laser pulses to destroy lipofuscin. The technical term for this approach is Selective Photothermolysis. LEDs, lasers, and infrared light have already found their way into many clinical and cosmetic applications. This research will investigate the use of laser pulses to improve human health at a much more fundamental level.
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Mr. Schooler has conducted preliminary qualitative research using laser pulses to destroy lipofuscin in nematodes (round worms). VIDEO HERE. This investigation was the subject of a presentation at the UABBA conference at UCLA in 2008. The current proposed research will use various pulsed laser treatments to investigate the effects on worm lifespan. Human cell culture models will also be used to investigate the dynamics of lipofuscin destruction microscopically in actual human cells.
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"Intracellular accumulation of the garbage material lipofuscin is a key suspected driver of the aging process. Nason Schooler’s laser-ablation project has the potential to reverse lipofuscin accumulation directly. Thus, it has the potential to become a key part of a comprehensive panel of future rejuvenation therapies."
-Aubrey de Grey, PhD
Download PDF of the full $16,000 proposal here
June 14th Sunday Evening Update interview with Nason Schooler
Coming soon: Regular updates on the progress of the Laser Research.
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