Michael Rae reports from the proceedings at SENS3:
Among the most exciting presentations at the third conference on Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS3) were those in Friday's session on the rescue of mitochondrial mutations. This is a subject to which Conference organizer and Methuselah Foundation Chief Science Officer Dr. Aubrey de Grey has made widely-recognized contributions.
Unlike most other parts of the cell, mitochondria house many of the genes encoding their essential proteins within themselves. These genes are vulnerable to the constant assault of free radicals produced by the mitochondria as a side-effect of their role as cellular power plants. When mitochondrial DNA is damaged, it cannot make the proteins needed to carry on the essential business of generating energy for the cell; the ensuing metabolic damage is the driver of age-related rise in oxidative stress. This oxidative stress fuels free radical damage and interferes with essential signaling pathways in cells far from the original site of the damage.
For the complete article please visit http://blog.methuselahfoundation.org/2007/09/sens3_report_the_gift_versus_c_1.html
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