Biology Questions
#1: T.A. Sciences, a New York supplement company, manufacturer of a drug TA-65, claims to be able to lengthen the telomere caps on chromosomes and thus slow down aging
process. The mainstream scientific community is very skeptical. Several years ago, a former executive Brian Egan sued the company ( see the review article by Brendan
Borrell). He claimed that he developed cancer while taking the TA-65.
To what extent do you think manufacturers of dietary supplements should be held responsible for their products? As a jury member, how would you vote?
#2: Inflammation increases cancer risk, damages arteries, and may even play role in development of Alzheimer’s. Recent studies by Zhang et al. (see the review paper
by Chris Palmer) have shown that NF-kappa B levels increase with age. NF-kappa B is a protein produced by your immune cells in response to inflammation. Inflammation
increases NF-kappa B levels in the hypothalamus, and this, on the other hand, reduces the levels Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH is involved in
reproductive cycle and also protects body from aging.
When other researchers injected mice with GnRH, the mice showed reduced signs of aging.
Can administration of GnRH lengthen human life span ?
