X-Message-Number: 31168 Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:40:07 -0700 From: hkhenson <> Subject: New drug http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16035-elixir-of-youth-drug-could-fight-hiv-and-ageing.html "It is beginning to look like telomerase is doing more than just keeping telomeres from getting too short," says Effros. "It seems to be mediating some anti-viral mechanisms as well." Interestingly, a previous study suggested that people with HIV who control the infection for many years without developing AIDS, have killer T-cells with high telomerase activity and longer telomeres. Ultimately, Effros hopes that TAT2 could be used to supplement existing anti-retroviral drugs, by boosting the immune systems of people with HIV. Aubrey de Grey of the <http://www.methuselahfoundation.org/>Methuselah Foundation, which promotes research into lifespan extension, says the study is a big step forward. "It is what we would have hoped," he says. "We've thought for some time that, by activating telomerase in these cells, we could extend their proliferative capacity. What was completely unclear was whether that would [have negative side effects]. These cells become fully functional as a result of the restoration of their proliferative capacity." (considerably more) Keith Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=31168