A4M Biotech E-Newsletter: 2001, Issue 7 (December 14, 2001)

SPECIAL INVITATION: Attend the Asia Pacific Conference and Exhibition on Anti-aging Medicine & Biomedical Technology 2001, taking place June 23-26, 2002 in Singapore. Listen to forty-five of the world's leading experts present the latest in anti-aging research and aging diagnostics and interventions … inspect the latest biotechnology discoveries in pharmaceuticals, nutritionals, laboratory testing and high-tech diagnostics. AMA/CME credits available. VISIT www.antiageing2002.com FOR DETAILS

Scientists Build "Nanocomputer" A group of scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have used biological molecules to build a "nanocomputer" in a test tube. The computer is so small that as many as one trillion (1,000,000,000,000) of the machines could fit into a drop of water. Together, the computers can perform a billion operations per second with greater than 99.8% accuracy. The computer is manufactured from DNA molecules and two enzymes that manipulate DNA in such a way that when they work together the molecules carry out a simple type of mathematical computing called finite automaton. The researchers believe that the discovery could, eventually lead to the development of nanocomputers capable of operating within the human body. Professor Zvi Livneh, one of the researchers behind the biological computer, speculates that the machines could be used to "sense an abnormal biochemical change in the body and decide how to correct it by synthesizing and releasing the necessary drug."

‘Nanogenerator’ Destroys Tumor Cells An "atomic nanogenerator" made from monoclonal antibodies and the radioactive substance actinium-255 (Ac-255) has been shown to prolong the survival of mouse models of prostate cancer and a type of human lymphoma by tracking down and destroying cancer cells. As well as nearly quadrupling the survival of mice, 40% of those given the highest dose of the "nanogenerator" were found to be tumor-free 300-days into the experiment. In vitro studies showed that the "nanogenerator" also killed leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer cells. Thus, suggesting that the Ac-255 generators could be used to treat solid cancers as well as disseminated forms of the disease.

Researchers at Northwestern University have managed to recreate the microscopic structure of bone by using "designer" molecules that can be encouraged to assemble themselves into so-called "nanostructures" that mimic the appearance of collagen fibers. If the nanostructures can be incorporated into a gel, it is possible that they could be placed into the gaps between fractures to enhance the natural healing process of bone, therefore the molecules could be highly beneficial to people with serious fractures, joint replacement patients, and those with bone cancer. Researchers believe that it may also be possible to develop nanostructures that attract different types of cells, for example nerve or cartilage cells, thus enabling scientists to regenerate other types of damaged tissues.

A group of Chinese scientists have managed to create several different types of functioning gastrointestinal tissues by culturing stem cells. The scientists used a specially formulated substance called Gastro-Intestinal Capsule (GIC) to encourage the stem cells to proliferate into a number of different gastric and intestinal tissues, including brush border mucosal tissues, which the body uses to absorb nutrients, and secretory cells. The same group of researchers previously reported that they had successfully regenerated and repaired human skin by culturing stem cells both in vitro and in situ.

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Visit The World Health Network, the Internet's leading anti-aging portal, at www.worldhealth.net, for the most up-to-date breakthrough news on human longevity and to maximize your quality and quantity of life.

The World Health Network is sponsored by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M, Chicago, IL). The A4M is a not-for-profit medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on anti-aging issues. A4M believes that the disabilities associated with normal aging are caused by physiological dysfunction which in many cases are ameliorable to medical treatment, such that the human lifespan can be increased, and the quality of one's life improved as one grows chronologically older. A4M seeks to disseminate information concerning innovative science and research as well as treatment modalities designed to prolong the human lifespan. Although A4M seeks to disseminate information on many types of medical treatments, it does not promote or endorse any specific treatment nor does it sell or endorse any commercial product.

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Allene R. Wahl, Ph.D., C.N.C.

Int'l. Resource Center for Chemically Induced Immune Disorders

Ph. (847) 678-5934