Sinclair discusses the possibility of discovering a “backup copy” of cellular epigenetic information which, if identified, could completely rewrite the anti-aging handbooks.
Rob, please post links to whatever you are talking about. Its really hard to discuss something when we don’t really know the details of what you’re mentioning.
David has talked about this in the past. There is a lot of skepticism about this theory in the longevity science community.
3 Likes
Especially important with Sinclair, since the first thing most of us think is - what’s he selling now?
This is what Sinclair has talked about previously. It is based around the concept that there is a planned epigenetic development. I personally think the development of aging is primarily metabolic and finally concludes with metabolic failures.
2 Likes
My comment preceded a link to the article and was within the same post. It was there when I posted it, and a comment or two that was made is no longer visible above. I’ll look to see if I can find it again as I likely deleted the email. From the comments about Sinclair (who is an unknown to me), the link may be superfluous.
To make things easier:
At this stage, Sinclair says the discovery supports the hypothesis that mammalian cells maintain a kind of backup copy of epigenetic software that, when accessed, can allow an aged, epigenetically scrambled cell to reboot into a youthful, healthy state.
I don’t think he is right. This is, however, something he has been saying for a good few years. The article I have linked to is from early 2023.
Thanks. I’d love to see anything new from 2024 if you can share it.
The article that hit my inbox was dated March 2024 wherein the idea that piqued my curiosity was “backup copy” for which he claimed potential evidence still in process. I’ll look when I get back to my workstation.
I don’t know how much of this is new but I believe this is the article I posted yesterday.
1 Like
Its this bit:
The Information Theory of Aging
Like many high-profile researchers, Dr. Sinclair has his pet theory of aging. The current ruling paradigm is the Hallmarks of Aging, the processes that include genomic instability and telomere attrition. Together, they are responsible for the phenotype of aging that we are all familiar with. Scientists know that many if not all these processes are interconnected, but is there an actual hierarchy?
Dr. Sinclair’s answer to that is “yes”. According to his Information Theory of Aging, cells’ health and function depend heavily on epigenetic information, a set of “instructions” in the form of slight chemical alterations to DNA molecules that governs the expression of genes and other elements of our DNA, such as retrotransposons. This is what tells cells into which cell type they should differentiate and how they should perform this type’s duties.
With time, various stressors throw our epigenome into disarray. Imagine pages of a manual being accidentally torn out, having coffee spilt over them, and so on. Epigenetic alterations are indeed one of the Hallmarks of Aging, and their contribution to aging is widely acknowledged. However, Dr. Sinclair takes it one step further.
First, those changes, he says, are responsible for a very significant part of aging – that is, they are high upstream and influence many or all other hallmarks. Second, he postulates that there is a copy of the “manual” that can be used to restore the epigenome to its youthful state. We can see hints to this in cellular reprogramming, where cells can be either thrown back to their pluripotent (undifferentiated) state and almost completely rejuvenated, or partially reprogrammed and partially rejuvenated.
If we can find that pristine backup copy of cellular epigenetic information and learn how to use it, the possibilities are endless. A recent study by Sinclair et al. presents findings in support of the theory. It’s not conclusive evidence yet, but definitely hope-inspiring. For more on this and other topics, we turned to David himself, and he kindly agreed to answer a few questions.
This is what he has said before. There is nothing unethical about it. I think the issues are epigenetic myself, but I think it is not so much as “programme” as a response to metabolic changes.
2 Likes
Has he or anybody else shown that epigenetic reprogramming extends mammals e.g. mice max lifespan?
Not counting the “backup copy”…the aging process being described sounds similar to the paper on declining adaptive homeostasis .
Here’s the thread if anyone wants to see the paper
The decline in adaptive homeostasis is a good description of the system. I think it is caused by the failure of the genome to function because of metabolic issues.
David Sinclair argues it occurs because the epigenome loses information which can be refound (from a backup copy).
2 Likes
Still early.
There are billions being invested in it. Including the largest startup round ever going to Altos Labs.
One recent paper with some life extension from very late in life single intervention with partial reprogramming is discussed here