Scientists seek the secret of a longer life
Source: Agencies |
October 27, 2011, Thursday
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GEORGE Eberhardt turned 107 last month, and scientists would love to know how he and other older people like him have made it that far. So he is going to hand over some of his DNA.
He is one of 100 centenarians taking part in a US project announced yesterday that will examine some of the oldest citizens with one of the newest scientific tools - whole-genome sequencing, the deciphering of a person's complete collection of DNA.
Scientists think DNA from very old healthy people could offer clues to how they lived so long. And that could one day lead to medicines to help the rest of us stay disease-free longer.
Thomas Perls, a geriatrics expert at Boston University, said of people who reach more than 100: "It is very hard to get there without some genetic advantages."
Perls is helping to find centenarians for the Archon Genomics X Prize competition. The X Prize Foundation, best known for a spaceflight competition, is offering US$10 million in prize money to researchers who decipher the complete DNA code from 100 people older than 100. The contest will be judged on accuracy, completeness and the speed and cost of sequencing.
The contest is a relaunch of an older competition with a new focus on centenarians, and is the second sequencing project involving the elderly to be announced this month.
Genome pioneer John Craig Venter says the centenarian project is just a first step in revealing the genetic secrets of a long and healthy life. "We need 10,000 genomes, not 100, to start to understand the link between genetics, disease and wellness," said Venter, who is co-chairing the X Prize contest.
Eberhardt, of Chester, New Jersey, played and taught tennis until he was 94. He said he is participating in the project because he is interested in science and technology. It is not clear his genes will reveal much. Nobody else in his extended family reached 100, and he believes only a couple reached 90.
Why does he think he has lived so long? He credits 70 years of marriage to his wife, Marie. She in turn cites his "intense interest in so many things" over a lifetime, from building radios as a child to pursuing a career in electronics research.
But researcher Richard Cawthon, of the University of Utah, claims the DNA project may turn up genetic features that protect against multiple diseases or slow the aging process.
He is one of 100 centenarians taking part in a US project announced yesterday that will examine some of the oldest citizens with one of the newest scientific tools - whole-genome sequencing, the deciphering of a person's complete collection of DNA.
Scientists think DNA from very old healthy people could offer clues to how they lived so long. And that could one day lead to medicines to help the rest of us stay disease-free longer.
Thomas Perls, a geriatrics expert at Boston University, said of people who reach more than 100: "It is very hard to get there without some genetic advantages."
Perls is helping to find centenarians for the Archon Genomics X Prize competition. The X Prize Foundation, best known for a spaceflight competition, is offering US$10 million in prize money to researchers who decipher the complete DNA code from 100 people older than 100. The contest will be judged on accuracy, completeness and the speed and cost of sequencing.
The contest is a relaunch of an older competition with a new focus on centenarians, and is the second sequencing project involving the elderly to be announced this month.
Genome pioneer John Craig Venter says the centenarian project is just a first step in revealing the genetic secrets of a long and healthy life. "We need 10,000 genomes, not 100, to start to understand the link between genetics, disease and wellness," said Venter, who is co-chairing the X Prize contest.
Eberhardt, of Chester, New Jersey, played and taught tennis until he was 94. He said he is participating in the project because he is interested in science and technology. It is not clear his genes will reveal much. Nobody else in his extended family reached 100, and he believes only a couple reached 90.
Why does he think he has lived so long? He credits 70 years of marriage to his wife, Marie. She in turn cites his "intense interest in so many things" over a lifetime, from building radios as a child to pursuing a career in electronics research.
But researcher Richard Cawthon, of the University of Utah, claims the DNA project may turn up genetic features that protect against multiple diseases or slow the aging process.
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