The Associated Press and other
news outlets are reporting that Italian scientists managed to increase
the life expectancy of mice by 35 percent by manipulating their genes.
The researchers switched off a gene that made the mice vulnerable to cell
damage from oxygen. So far there is no evidence that the mice experienced
any side effects from the change.
“They hit a milestone in aging
research with this study — they’ve found a genetic intervention in mice
that make them live longer without any side effects,” Massachusetts Institute
of Technology researcher Leonard Guarente told the Associated Press.
The principal researcher on the
project, Pier Giusepe Pelicci warned that it was a big step from extending
life span in mice to doing so in human beings, but oxidation has long
been suspected as a major factor in the aging of human beings as well
as other animals.
Sources:
Researchers
increase life span of genetically engineered mice from the Associated
Press, November 17, 1999.
Scientists
Find Protein to Control Lifespan in Mice from Reuters, November 18,
1999.