Fight Aging!

As I'm sure you're all aware, back in October Fight Aging! launched a matching fundraiser in support of the work of the SENS Research Foundation. Together Christophe and Dominique Cornuejols, Dennis Towne, Håkon Karlsen, Jason Hope, Methuselah Foundation, Michael Achey, Michael Cooper, and Fight Aging! established a $100,000 matching fund and challenged the community to donate another $50,000 by the end of the year, with all of this going to expand ongoing rejuvenation research programs. The SENS Research Foundation coordinates scientific efforts essential for the near future production of therapies capable of repairing the cellular and molecular damage that causes aging. The Foundation staff also advocate in and beyond the research community, organize noted conferences such as this year's Rejuvenation Biotechnology 2014, and help to build the next generation of enthusiastic scientists, people who see treatments for aging as the hot new thing in cutting edge biotechnology.

The Foundation takes a very careful, strategic view on research, and focuses funding on fields needed for tomorrow's rejuvenation toolkit but which are at present stalled, ignored, or poorly funded - such as work on mitochondrial DNA repair and removal of various forms of harmful metabolic waste, such as those that clog up and damage lysosomes with age. Early stage research in most areas of biotechnology is becoming quite cheap these days, and a lot can be done with a few hundred thousand dollars, a few smart young scientists, and an established academic laboratory with space to spare. Certainly it is possible to unjam fields that are stuck because no-one wants to invest the time to build the basic tools needed for any meaningful work to take place, as is the case for breaking down glucosepane cross-links in human tissues, or where present relevant research is largely intended for use with comparatively rare genetic diseases, and thus is funded below the levels needed to ensure reliable progress, as is the case for some of the work relevant to working around the contribution of mitochondrial DNA damage to aging.

Which is all to say that grassroots efforts at the level of our Fight Aging! SENS fundraiser are meaningful and important. We light the way and attract later, wealthier donors, and further do actually help to ensure that good research is accomplished with our funds. I'm pleased to say that the community has shown considerable generosity and support, especially in the last week since Giving Tuesday and an offer by Aubrey de Grey to further match donations that day. At present with three weeks to go more than 500 people have pitched in and we are just a little over three thousand dollars short of our goal of $50,000. Thank you to all who have helped!

So if you have friends who are on the fence, or even friends who have never heard of the SENS Research Foundation and efforts in the scientific community to bring an end to pain, suffering, and disease in aging, then now is a good time to reach out.