Aging Comes of Age as Telomeres Take the Stage -- Nobel Prize Announcement No Surprise To "Dr. Telomere"
Dr Dave Woynarowski, MD, Chief Medical Educational Officer for TA Sciences, comments on the three American scientists who were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discoveries surrounding telomers, the end caps on the human chromosomes. Dr Dave also discusses the practical applications of telomere biology in aging humans.
New York, NY (PRWEB) October 5, 2009
With the announcement that three Americans, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, Dr. Carol Greider and Dr. Jack Szostak jointly share the Noble Prize, the science of aging and staying young has finally come of age.
The three scientists were instrumental in the discovery of a DNA segment called the telomere, which is the end cap of genetic material found at the ends of chromosomes.
Dave Woynarowski MD, also known as "Dr Telomere" is the Chief Medical Education Officer of T. A. Sciences, a company that specializes in Telomere Biology. He thinks there's an inherent irony in telomeres being such a strong focal point today.
"These guys, telomeres, were previously thought to be 'genetic junk.' They were the Rodney Dangerfield of science; 'they got no respect!' But telomeres turned out to be essential in protecting the chromosome so it can be replicated effectively."
As CMEO of a company that specializes in telomere biology, he knows all too well the role of telomeres, not just as award-winning science, but in practical application for aging humans. He says, "Many of the diseases that are associated with aging and that are rampant in our society are associated with shortened telomere segments. These include cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, diabetes and the physical signs of aging - such as wrinkles - to name a few."
Further, however, "Dr. Telomere" points out that there is a growing segment of the scientific community that stresses the impact of telomeres even more.
"Some scientists believe that short telomeres actually cause aging and disease. Although this is not a generally accepted theory, it is gaining significant momentum," he explains.
T. A. Sciences makes a compound known as TA-65 that rejuvenates telomeres and even adds to their length. This is exactly the opposite of what happens when we age as our telomeres naturally get shorter.
Woynarowski states, "TA-65 is known as a telomerase activator because it turns on our own pre-existing telomere repair system by activating an enzyme called telomerase. TA-65 seems to help our telomerase find where the shortest telomeres are and targets them to grow longer instead of shorter. By adding length to these critically short segments, we hope to eventually help many conditions that show up as we age. In the end run we'd like to reverse aging or at least slow it down!"
In the meantime the company has hired other top scientists to sort through the data they have gathered on TA-65 for the past two years and the search shows important positive benefits in their clients. Most importantly, immune function improvement is statistically significant in those who have taken the supplement.
Woynarowski adds, "The compound, TA-65 has been available to the general public for over two years now and we are all taking it here. There are virtually no side effects and in our clients we have data that shows improvements in the immune system function and bone density as well as better insulin levels. On the flip side, our customers tell us that they have much stronger sex drive and energy! It's hard to measure those things but that seems to be the feedback from the people taking TA-65."
When asked why everyone doesn't know about the first and only telomerase activator that is safe for human consumption, Woynarowski adds, "We've been quietly spreading the word mouth to mouth as we have gathered data. We don't want to be perceived as just another over-hyped supplement, like resveratrol. But now, with this announcement and the fact that "telomere" is becoming a household word, the world needs to know about us!"
With the announcement that the scientific community has deemed Telomere Biology worthy of the Nobel Prize comes the acknowledgment that the science of aging has progressed far beyond the controversial practices that have defined "anti-aging medicine" (like growth hormone, for instance) and into the realm of real scientific interest.
Dr Woynarowski believes that, "Aging has finally come of age and anti-aging medicine may well become the Science of Staying Young using what we know about telomeres."
Dr Dave's recent appearance at the Telomere Conference (http://tasciences. com/live/) in New York City can be seen here (http://tasciences. com/live/). His segment occurs between 67:40 - 89:00 minutes.
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