I have to admit that I am very excited about the prospect of gene therapy. However, it still needs more work. In the US, many of the gene therapy trials were temporarily suspended a few months ago, because two children contracted cancer, which was potentially caused by the treatment.
For treating aging, I'm more excited about the insulin and insulin-like pathways. Basically, inhibitors of these pathways lead to an increase in lifespan for yeast, nematodes, fruit flies, and now mice. Some of the researchers in this field are forming drug companies, so they can begin to look for inhibitors of the insulin-like pathway. If you're going to make bets on aging treatments for the near future, I think this is the way to go. |
