Rapid Testing and Nematode Research in Lubbock, Texas |
Posted: March 2, 2023 |
In a small, but fast-growing startup in Lubbock, Texas, C. elegans are being used to revolutionize research into aging. Nematode research has been done on agar plates and Petri dishes, but a new technology from the company uses a microfluidic chip to create an ecosystem for the nematodes that can live up to two weeks. Researchers are looking for ways to increase the lifespan of nematodes and other animals so they can help develop medicines that treat diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease. They are also trying to understand the molecular basis of aging so they can better combat it. While there are many factors that contribute to a nematode's life span, a recent study from scientists in the University of California-San Francisco has found some genes can be targeted to change this. They discovered that a nematode's longevity can be increased by reducing the expression of 50 genes that are associated with aging. These genes include kynu-1, tsp-3 and rcan-1. They all affect the activity of DNA repair enzymes in the cell, which reduces DNA damage and slows aging. They also have effects on protein levels, which may contribute to the nematode's healthspan. The RNAi-treated nematodes had an average lifespan of about three weeks, but some were much longer or shorter than this. These changes in the worms' healthspan are important because they could provide insight into the genetic causes of the human aging process and may lead to new therapies for diseases like Alzheimer's or Huntington's. In a recent study, RNAi was used to target genes that regulate the length of time nematodes live before diseases of aging set in. The results of this study indicate that reducing the expression of these genes can dramatically increase nematode lifespans. Affected genes include kynu-1, a gene that is associated with the speed at which cells grow and reproduce; tsp-3, a protein that regulates cell growth; and rcan-1, a protein that controls the body's inflammatory response. They all appear to influence nematode lifespan in some way, but it's not clear which genes control which aspects of aging. Another important study from the University of California-San Francisco found that a nematode's lifespan can be increased by reducing the expression of a protein that inhibits the immune system. This protein is called CD44, and it is also involved in the development of tumors. Using a gene knockout technique, the researchers were able to extend the lifespan of nematodes by more than 40 percent. Moreover, they were able to identify 46 genes that affected the nematode's lifespan in a strain-specific manner. While the study is still in its early stages, it is a promising start for the company's future plans to use the worms to transform aging research and improve products for a variety of industries including food ingredients, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The worms have an average lifespan of about three weeks, but they are able to live much longer when a certain gene is knocked out. The team is working to determine whether this can be applied to humans as well.
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