In 1962, when the level of technical development did not allow thinking about modifying genes and reprogramming cells in order to slow down the advance of aging and prolong life for a long time, Robert Ettinger, an American physicist and writer, issued his famous book “The Possibility of Immortality” dealing with the possibility of freezing a person before his death and then reviving him when it appears Treatments for the causes that led to his death.

In the seventies of the last century, 6 companies specialized in the proposed cryonics technology were opened in the United States, and the first person to be cryopreserved was Dr. James Bedford (Professor of Psychology) at the age of 73 on January 12, 1967. There are currently hundreds of Frozen bodies around the world (at a temperature of about 196 degrees below zero) and thousands of people registered their names for this operation upon their death.

Although this process is currently not reversible, the development of artificial intelligence and rapid technological growth has encouraged some researchers to say that resurrected bodies may be possible starting in 2040.

scientific breakthroughs

The last decade of this century witnessed 3 scientific/technical breakthroughs that fueled human dreams of immortality by reprogramming its genetic code:

The first

: the completion of the human genome sequence identification project in 2003, after 13 years of international cooperation and investment, the value of the project amounted to about 2.7 billion US dollars.

The genome is the complete genetic material made up of deoxyribonucleic acid, known simply as "DNA" (DNA), and includes between 20-25 thousand protein-encoded genes.

This achievement was followed by a decrease in the cost of identifying and analyzing the complete human genome sequences (WGS) from 100 million dollars initially, to 10 thousand in 2010, then to a thousand in 2015 and finally to 400 dollars, and the cost is expected to reach several dollars only in less than A decade ago, quantum computing began to be used commercially.

The second

: Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka (2012 Nobel laureate) concluded that by adding only 4 proteins (now known as Yamanaka factors) mature cells can be reprogrammed and returned to the state of embryonic stem cells, allowing them to be rejuvenated.

By 2016, a scientific lab had applied all of these factors to live aging mice and checked for signs of rejuvenation, which led to the method being dubbed the "elixir of life."

By adding 4 proteins (Yamanaka factors) mature cells can be reprogrammed and regenerated allowing them to rejuvenate (Getty Images)

Third

: Gene editing tools are available cheaply with the innovation of CRISPR-Cas9 technology by the American scientist Jennifer Doudna and the French Emmanuel Charpentier in 2012 (they won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 in the field of gene editing).

This technique began to be used on human embryos in 2015, and "Science" magazine considered it the most important scientific discovery that year.

Previous scientific / technical breakthroughs opened the door to a great work that may take many years to accurately identify the functions of between 20-25 thousand genes contained in the human genome located in the cell nucleus, and arranged in the form of 23 pairs of chromosomes.

It also requires recognizing the side effects of modifying any gene.

Aging as a disease

Based on the indicated developments, in 2015 a group of international researchers released an article calling for the classification of biological aging as a disease.

On June 8, 2018, the World Health Organization published the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and it was approved on May 25, 2019 by the members of the organization, to become effective from January 1, 2022, and to replace Place of the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases.

The new releases include two important changes regarding aging:

Change 1 -

Change in the disease code designation "Age Related Physical Disability" in version 10 (ICD-10) to "old age" in version 11 (ICD-11).

This change represents a shift from a designation for diseases that accompany aging to what can be read as a disease of aging and as a measure of chronological age, which some thinkers and doctors have objected to as it suggests that every person over the age of 60 or 65 suffers from this health problem “aging.” ".

The second -

extending the code associated with aging to include processes that lead to a decline in the ability of the organism to adapt with age.

This expansion was seen as an important step to encourage potential investment in developing drugs that target the biological processes of aging that appear to underlie many age-related diseases.

criticism

Regardless of the criticisms leveled at these two amendments, they contributed to the acceleration of investment in this field.

In 2011 investments to find a cure for aging were zero.

In the following years, more than 5 billion dollars were allocated to this topic.

More investments are expected in this field in the coming years.

In October 2020, a large number of scientists gathered at the mansion of Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, perched in the hills of Los Altos, for a two-day scientific conference on the topic: How can biotechnology be used to make people younger?

This meeting resulted in the formation of an ambitious new anti-aging company called Altos Labs, whose mission is to develop a technology to reprogram human cells so that they turn younger and ultimately extend their lifespan.

Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the richest man in the world is among the investors in Altus Labs, along with Yuri Milner (European)

Reports indicated that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the richest man in the world, was among the investors in this company, along with Yuri Milner.

Reports also indicated that a group of scientists have joined or will join this company, including Juan Carlos Izpesa Belmonte, a Spanish biologist who is famous for his research that combines human embryos and monkeys, and who believes that “aging is not an irreversible process” and that human life can increase by about 50 years old.

The company was joined by Steve Horvath, a University of California professor and developer of a "biological clock" that can accurately measure human aging.

He will chair the company's scientific advisory board, Yamanaka, which specializes in cell reprogramming, which we have already mentioned.

Eight years ago, the Google-backed company Calico was founded in the United States with the goal of uncovering the biological processes behind aging, treating associated diseases, and researching how biological programming can be used to reverse aging in cells and tissues. company in this field.

Until effective gene therapies are devised to slow down the aging process at an affordable price, you need the traditional, trusted methods: calorie restriction, healthy food, and exercise

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