Screening For Longevity Interventions
CCNews notes that researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research are embarking upon a large screening exercise, searching for new ways to manipulate metabolism to extend longevity: scientists "will screen as many as 120,000 chemical compounds over the next four years to discover which ones impact lifespan in four research models - yeast, nematode worms, fruit flies and mice. ... at the very least we hope to identify 100 chemically distinct compounds that slow aging, opening up new avenues to treat, prevent or postpone age-related conditions ... The largest number of compounds will be screened, in many cases via the use of robotics and other high-tech devices, in the simplest organisms - budding yeast and nematode worms. Chemicals that extend lifespan in those species will go on to be tested in the fruit fly. Chemicals that cause all three species to live longer will be looked at in mice, to see if there is a reversal of the molecular characteristics of aging. The evolutionary distance between yeast and worms predicts that compounds active in both these species are likely to be relevant to mice and humans."