Circumventing the imminent zombie apocalypse, the fountain of
youth.
Mainstream
media, as well as highly revered authors and screen writes predicted it, now
science has proved it; the existence of zombies. What has been a work of
science fiction for decades, stories of the undead, is now filling the
work-load of scientists near and far. Think of zombies, but much smaller, then
think of microbiologist small; zombies so small that you can only see them
through a microscope, and you nailed it. These little devils are responsible
for 100% of all aging.
Jan van Deursen and his colleagues
at Mayo Clinic, located in Rochester, Minnesota; have been working around the
clock after finding a peculiar phenomenon while studying mice subjects in their
lab. This discovery was found quite by accident. As the scientists manipulated
the cells, focusing on the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, as well as a
suppressor of tumors, that works by activating the Rb of the mice, they
expected to see excessive tumor growth. Instead, they were bewildered by the
results. This specific manipulation of the expression of p16, increased aging
in the rodent’s tissues. They became senescent cells. In the past senescent
cells were known to irreversibly obstruct the cell-cycle, protecting against
cancer. Despite initial findings, and after intensive study we now know that
cellular senescence amasses in aging organisms, causing aging, or in the case
of the undead mice; increases aging. The mice developed clear indication that
they were prematurely aging, after of only a few months of life, they
accumulated cataracts in their eyes and thinning fur, becoming “undead.” Under
further observation the biologists noticed that the mice’s bodies were
obstructed with “zombie cells,” or more professionally known as senescent cells.
Now that van Deursen and his team
pinpointed and accelerated the cause of aging, the next logical question was;
could we reduce this, or halt the aging process entirely. And so, it began: the
order for the eradication of “zombie cells” was set into action. Although the
conventional way to slay zombies is to stock up on sawed-off shot guns,
sharpened katanas, and gas-powered chain-saws, these methods that were
effective in books and films, were not going to cut it with real world zombies.
No, these are biologists, men and women of science, not some back-wood rednecks
in a field. Their answer came to them through eloquence, finesse, and deliberate
experimentation. The conclusion they came to was, yes, the cessation of age is potentially
possible. They removed senescent cells from a subject and were enthralled to
see that the removal stimulated the cells repair apparatuses, producing new
tissue.
The drugs purposed that would be
considered the “zombie-killing machine,” are called senolytic. This term was
created to fulfill the reaction of the drug, deriving its roots from the words “senescence
and “lytic.” Lytic is directly related to, or the cause of, lysis; which literally
means “to destroy.” The idea is that the drug would hone in on the senescent cells
and, like an accurate ballistic missile, completely destroy the age-causing
cells.
Unfortunately, like all good zombie
stories, there is a gut-wrenching twist. You would think that funding for the “fountain
of youth” would come flowing in by the millions, this isn’t the case. The fact
is, that regardless of how monumental this research would be to the progression
of humanity, the hindrances limit the amount of research that can be done on
this subject. The main problem is that “the US Food and Drug Administration has
not labelled it a condition in need of treatment,” therefore, getting funding
for clinical trials is simply inconceivable.
In conclusion, the results are
still out. In my opinion the largest reason for the neglection of this study is
because it has hardly any monetary value. When science is funded, the funders
expect a return for the initial money they put out, similar to a loan. There is
also another problem, the idea that humans could potentially live forever might
just lead to our utter extinction because of the limited resources available on
this earth. The science itself could lead to cures for a multitude of diseases. Unfortunately, we won’t ever know unless further experiments could be funded
and conducted. I chose this article because I find the idea of a zombie apocalypse
absolutely fascinating, and the idea that we could remain youthful using science
is really attractive, especially when you are faced with your own mortality.
With that said, I am excited to see what the future of the microbiology field
has in store for us, the bounds that we have made thus far are astronomical,
and we have so much more to learn about the world in which we live.
Reference: http://www.nature.com/news/to-stay-young-kill-zombie-cells-1.22872?WT.mc_id=SFB_NNEWS_1508_RHBox
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