Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
How to Live for More than 200 Years
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1012 How to Live for More than 200 Years
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel.
Among the oldest animals are Bowhead whales which can live more than two hundred years. That means some alive today were born when Napoleon Bonaparte was waging a war.
Since they can grow to sixty feet and up to two hundred thousand pounds, the massive numbers of cell divisions required suggest they should have higher rates of cancer than humans and not live as long as they do. So, how do they do it?
A cell goes through stages before becoming cancerous. It takes a certain number of genetic hits and those mutations gather in key genes that control cell growth and DNA repair.
Larger, long-living species can take more hits before cells become cancerous. For example, elephants have higher numbers of p-fifty-three, a tumor suppressor gene. The bottom line is they’re better at repairing DNA and stabilizing the genome.
That’s especially true in bowhead whales. Scientists found in its connective tissue one hundred times higher levels of a DNA repair protein called Cold‑inducible RNA‑binding protein. And they produce more of it when exposed to stressors such as extreme cold and UV radiation.
It’s key to DNA repair and cell health. When researchers added this protein to fruit fly and human cells in culture, their DNA repair improved. Colder temperatures also promoted the protein’s increase.
We don’t have any approved therapies to promote DNA repair, and some believe it’s not possible, but this study contradicts that and paves the way for future studies.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast.
