95 replies to this topic

[ilia]

Miro, Perhaps next time we adjust the time zones
Anyway, this is an ongoing skype chat. One can join and participate at any time (in this and other projects).
Please follow the link

http://denigma.de/data/entry/chats

The current project (which is a high priority) is the last one, called "Graph Visualization" (The skype group is called Public Interface)

Edited by ilia, 01 February 2013 - 11:19 AM.

[Mind]

If flash is dead, that is fine. I only mentioned it because that is what I am familiar with. Other graphical interface methods like atralyn mentioned look good as well. Whatever we can find that is familiar with project leaders/volunteers will work.

Flash isn't dead (look at all those Facebook games). It's popularity is declining, as well as portability (iOS doesn't support it). But, when it comes to writing web games it is still the first choice. Web apps that doesn't require such a high performance tend to be more developed in HTML5 recently (including the WebGL for real 3D applications, or just Javascript + CSS for 2D). I don't think that high performance is critical in our case. We don't have a lot of animations that have to be rendered at, say, 20 frames per second. Additionally, I don't think that we need real 3D support, or do we? When I say real 3D, I mean ability for a user to freely choose a perspective from which it will look at the object(s) we are presenting to him. So, WebGL is not a must. What we need, from what I understood after reading the first set of very general requirements, is to allow a user to toggle the visibility on/off of a certain layer on the graph. Each layer would represent another depth of complexity, or different kind of relations between certain elements on the graph. For this purpose plain 2D graphics with transparent layers which visibility can be turned ON or OFF will do.

As someone already pointed out, if the plan is to engage volunteers only, we should start off with realistic set of requirements, which would incrementally (in phases) add upon each other, in order to have a quick feedback and iterate fast. If, on the other hand, the plan is to hire professionals to finish the job, we have to have crystal clear set of requirements.

12 GMT, that is noon? If so, that is 3AM PST - not a good timing for me

It would be great if you could post a chat log here (or you can use http://pastebin.com/ - and just post link here).

Thanks,

Miro

Correct, REAL 3D is not necessary. I was thinking of a 3D object that people can manipulate, such as some of the one's already mentioned in this thread, or like this one. As far as which comes first the chicken or the egg (a nice looking interface to engage everyone or a well-planned back end with successively in-depth information), I can't say which is best. I can only do artwork with my limited time. I really can't code a webpage in a short period of time - it is not my expertise. So I am focusing on presenting a vision/front-end to try and kick start things.

[ilia]

Where is the "like" button? See you today in the chat!

[atraylen]

so i was thinking these javascript libraries for jquery
might be modifiable for the purposes of this project.
i was pondering the notion of making an editable version
of this data schema it would probably encourage contribution...

http://jquery-jkit.com/
https://github.com/k...fluk/js-mindmap
http://js-mindmap.go...runk/index.html

[Mind]

If flash is dead, that is fine. I only mentioned it because that is what I am familiar with. Other graphical interface methods like atralyn mentioned look good as well. Whatever we can find that is familiar with project leaders/volunteers will work.

Flash isn't dead (look at all those Facebook games). It's popularity is declining, as well as portability (iOS doesn't support it). But, when it comes to writing web games it is still the first choice. Web apps that doesn't require such a high performance tend to be more developed in HTML5 recently (including the WebGL for real 3D applications, or just Javascript + CSS for 2D). I don't think that high performance is critical in our case. We don't have a lot of animations that have to be rendered at, say, 20 frames per second. Additionally, I don't think that we need real 3D support, or do we? When I say real 3D, I mean ability for a user to freely choose a perspective from which it will look at the object(s) we are presenting to him. So, WebGL is not a must. What we need, from what I understood after reading the first set of very general requirements, is to allow a user to toggle the visibility on/off of a certain layer on the graph. Each layer would represent another depth of complexity, or different kind of relations between certain elements on the graph. For this purpose plain 2D graphics with transparent layers which visibility can be turned ON or OFF will do.

As someone already pointed out, if the plan is to engage volunteers only, we should start off with realistic set of requirements, which would incrementally (in phases) add upon each other, in order to have a quick feedback and iterate fast. If, on the other hand, the plan is to hire professionals to finish the job, we have to have crystal clear set of requirements.

12 GMT, that is noon? If so, that is 3AM PST - not a good timing for me

It would be great if you could post a chat log here (or you can use http://pastebin.com/ - and just post link here).

Thanks,

Miro

We could definitely adjust the timing to fit with your schedule Miroslav. If Saturday's are generally pretty good for you, then maybe something more like 15GMT or 18GMT (7am or 10am PST). For our friends half way around the world, the evenings 7pm - 11pm (PST) might work as well. It would be early morning for them.

[Mind]

So we are thinking about how we could improve upon Moskalev's bio-informatic diagram. How to make it more accessible to a wider audience. How to make it more interactive. How to make it more collaborative. The hope is that we could draw more aging researchers into the fold - that new insights and discoveries about how events, diseases, aging, etc... are related.

In today's world we certainly have a lot of software tools to make something like this come to life. The sphere of possibilities is endless and many have been suggested. We have to decide upon a path to move forward, as Miroslav and atraylen have mentioned. Our interactive graphic/website/diagram should have a very basic - yet engaging - front end, and a robust database-driven scientific back end.

This week I have just focused on the front end - the layman's view. When I first saw Moskalev's diagram, one of the first things I envisioned was a 3D network/node presentation to make it more engaging. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't have the web programming skills to code this thing up but I did have enough time to create some artistic screenshots of what I envisioned.

For the first encounter to the webpage/graphic I envisioned something similar to this - a 3D object that a person can manipulate. Instead of a little green sphere (like in the example web page), I envisioned an "aging sphere", like what I attached to this post. In order to draw people in to explore, there would be no explanation about what to do. Users would just have to click on the page, turn the sphere, figure out how to manipulate the object. Human brains are evolved to seek and explore (it is kind-of like crack).

Attached Files

•  aging object3.jpg   147.35KB   12 downloads

[Mind]

Users would explore and manipulate the "aging sphere" and perhaps a double click or some other input would explode the sphere into a network view. This network would still be a very layman-type explanation of diseases and aging. Attached is kind-of how I envisioned the transformation from sphere to network map. I would hope we could come up with some sort-of cool animation thingy to keep people interested.

Attached Files

•  expandig aging.jpg   170.31KB   2 downloads

[Mind]

Once users would be in the network map it would look something like what I have attached here. When they click on an element in the network/node map, it would move to the front. A person could see how different aspects of metabolism, aging, disease, etc... are related. Note: This image is just a novice view - just an example - not a scientifically relevant depiction (that will come later).

Also, some other artists might be able to come up with a better "look". I just whipped this up quick using freely available images on the web. The sphere looked "ugly" enough to be associated with aging in my view. A different pattern could be used, like old weathered cracked wood, or crumbling bricks, whatever.

Attached Files

•  network map.jpg   65.06KB   9 downloads

[Mind]

As a more advanced feature, that might add to the "gamification" of the project, perhaps the "aging sphere" could change for those people who contributed to the project. Maybe we could add elements that say "what can I do about this" (cancer for example) and there could be links to cancer research in need of funding, or an element in the network/node map that is related to the accumulation of junk - a strand of SENS, could link to a donation page to SENS, or an element associated with Alzheimer's could be linked to a donation page that supports LongeCity microglia research. Whether people are contributing their knowledge, computer skills, or money, once they had contributed a certain amount, their "aging sphere" would turn into a "living sphere". They would be presented with the "living sphere" when first coming to the site - the back end would still be the same.

Attached Files

•  living sphere.jpg   111.87KB   1 downloads

[Mind]

Just another aging schematic for everyone to look at: http://sciencevsaging.org/en

Eventually we will probably choose one of these schema/graphics to start building the "back-end" of the website.

[Mind]

It is suggested that we have the next meeting in two weeks and to have it at 1800GMT, which would be 10am PST in the U.S., (Noon CST).

[atraylen]

so i was thinking these javascript libraries for jquery
might be modifiable for the purposes of this project.
i was pondering the notion of making an editable version
of this data schema it would probably encourage contribution...

http://jquery-jkit.com/
https://github.com/k...fluk/js-mindmap
http://js-mindmap.go...runk/index.html

Hello all I was tinkering with the javascript libraries I mentioned earlier. I spent two hours putting together just a rough proof of concept. The styling is the js mind map default styling, and all 347 linkages aren't properly expressed. The js-mindmap doesn't quite have the functionality baked in to it for a map this complex. I just wanted to see what would happen if I stuck all 117 elements in there.
As I mentioned before the js-mindmap library uses jquery, what I didn't notice until I played around was that it also uses a jquery library, for making svg dom nodes, called Raphael. If we did decide to go the javascript/svg route with this it might be wise to just use raphael and write our own mindmap implementation (if js-mindmap proves to be hard to modify). The whole as it stands seems a little laggy, and if we did use these technologies it might be wise to optimize it by getting rid of the force directed Couloumb effect that js-mindmap uses. Perhaps coming up with a different method for laying everything out. Also the colors are atrocious. I'm not hard stuck on using any of this stuff I just am putting this out there sort of as a proof of concept.
Take a look!
If you're feeling adventurous I packaged everything I used up in to a little zip file that contains all of the files that came with the libraries I used. As well as a text document that lists all of the elements of the original image.
Any thoughts?

[Marios Kyriazis]

Just another aging schematic for everyone to look at: http://sciencevsaging.org/en

Eventually we will probably choose one of these schema/graphics to start building the "back-end" of the website.

Some thoughts:
1. I am not quite sure how a scheme for the public would also work for serious research scientists. The two may have to be completely different. If I show the diagram: http://sciencevsaging.org/en to a member of the public, they will get confused after 2-3 seconds. The aim to engage the public is different from the aim to add and contribute to the science of aging. I think we need both, but at different levels.
2. With that in mind, I like the idea of adding links to ‘what can I do about this’. Perhaps we could adopt a wikipedia-like approach, i.e. people can freely edit the scheme with their own ideas and suggestions, moderated by an overall moderator (or team). The scheme for the public will have to be designed and devised from scratch.

[Mind]

Some thoughts:
1. I am not quite sure how a scheme for the public would also work for serious research scientists. The two may have to be completely different. If I show the diagram: http://sciencevsaging.org/en to a member of the public, they will get confused after 2-3 seconds. The aim to engage the public is different from the aim to add and contribute to the science of aging. I think we need both, but at different levels.
2. With that in mind, I like the idea of adding links to ‘what can I do about this’. Perhaps we could adopt a wikipedia-like approach, i.e. people can freely edit the scheme with their own ideas and suggestions, moderated by an overall moderator (or team). The scheme for the public will have to be designed and devised from scratch.

Yes, you are thinking along the same lines as the rest. There will be an engagement level for novice people like me and there will be a scientific level where hopefully fundamental insights are discovered.

I would like to have both levels on the same webpage, but they don't have to be seemlessly dynamically linked. It could just be a psuedo link, if that is easier. People who come to the website for the first time would interact with the more engaging artistic level, then they could dig deeper if they so choose. Scientists who engage at the more scientific levels could just go straight to that point every time they interact.

[okok]

Some thoughts:
1. I am not quite sure how a scheme for the public would also work for serious research scientists. The two may have to be completely different. If I show the diagram: http://sciencevsaging.org/en to a member of the public, they will get confused after 2-3 seconds. The aim to engage the public is different from the aim to add and contribute to the science of aging. I think we need both, but at different levels.
2. With that in mind, I like the idea of adding links to ‘what can I do about this’. Perhaps we could adopt a wikipedia-like approach, i.e. people can freely edit the scheme with their own ideas and suggestions, moderated by an overall moderator (or team). The scheme for the public will have to be designed and devised from scratch.

Not necessarily. With a cogent db architecture arbitrary levels of abstraction and detail are a trifle. This would also be a great opportunity to remedy the often repeated need to centralize longecity's crowd-sourced wisdom.

[Mind]

I am glad to hear that with the proper database architecture, creating different levels of abstraction will be a cake-walk. The back-end database support should also be easily automated. This was something brought up at the last meeting - the fact that it took many man hours to enter data into all of these different aging schematics - something we hope we will not have to repeat. Most of these intricate 2D diagrams have tables already edited/built, they just need to be standardized and imported for our purposes.

Good thing for us, there are some visualization tools already available, as atralyn showed, it only took 2 hours to enter all of Moskalev's table into a visualization program and then viola! a more interactive node/network view. Great work atralyn! I know we have some great coders/programmers/designers here at LongeCity. We should be able to create something beautiful, functional, and engaging.

Edited by Mind, 05 February 2013 - 08:45 PM.

[Mind]

I also want to again note the "engagement" factor and the potential "what can I do" elements of the project. If you talk to Aubrey or other people focused on engineering an end to biological aging, they would say we already know enough to begin rejuvenation therapies, that "aging schematics" might be a waste of time, however, I do not think this to be the case. A properly done, detailed, and more engaging presentation about what aging is and how it happens has the potential to draw more people into the fold, young and old alike. More researchers, more donations, and more understanding will hopefully accelerate the pace of discovery and eventual biological rejuvenation.

We are open to ideas for "gamification" at different levels of the schematic. If something is useful AND entertaining, it is more likely to catch a wider audience. The entertainment factor is of course secondary but should not be ignored.

Edited by Mind, 05 February 2013 - 08:46 PM.

[Mind]

Some thoughts:
1. I am not quite sure how a scheme for the public would also work for serious research scientists. The two may have to be completely different. If I show the diagram: http://sciencevsaging.org/en to a member of the public, they will get confused after 2-3 seconds. The aim to engage the public is different from the aim to add and contribute to the science of aging. I think we need both, but at different levels.
2. With that in mind, I like the idea of adding links to ‘what can I do about this’. Perhaps we could adopt a wikipedia-like approach, i.e. people can freely edit the scheme with their own ideas and suggestions, moderated by an overall moderator (or team). The scheme for the public will have to be designed and devised from scratch.

Not necessarily. With a cogent db architecture arbitrary levels of abstraction and detail are a trifle. This would also be a great opportunity to remedy the often repeated need to centralize longecity's crowd-sourced wisdom.

Maybe you could take a look at the Denigma effort to create "data units" to support an aging graphic/schematic.

Also see this write-up of the Denigma Graph Visualization. It does an excellent job of describing the comprehensive aspects of this project as discussed in this thread (and at the recent Skype meeting. It is a big task. All help is appreciated.

[Mind]

Eventually we will have to settle upon some color coding and visual element structure. Going back the science vs aging schematic, they color-code at the level of organ systems and have an element of time built in to the graphic, which is nice and something we might want to consider (or borrow). Moskalev's graphic is similar but the wording is more technical.

[Mind]

Niner mentioned some of the NCBI tools. Something to keep in mind as we build more in-depth levels, but too advanced to think about right now, IMO.

Someone also mentioned using the human body as our visual template for explaining aging. That is an option to keep open, especially considering what atralyn shared earlier (something that has already been built!). Right now, I am kind-of wedded to the schematic network/node presentation because it might lend itself to a different kind of engagement factor and be more easily modifiable when adding "attractive" design features (motion, highlights, color, etc...)

[Mind]

String is another nice tool for visualization, of course developed for people with vast biological knowledge. It is something we should keep in mind to consult with as we build more complex layers into our schematic. We are of course aiming for something that will drive both public engagement/enthusiasm AND scientific discovery.

Edited by Mind, 05 February 2013 - 10:07 PM.

[Mind]

Just deliberating about the graphic again. I just whipped-up the "aging sphere" off the top of my head. Dr. Moskalev originally imagined a human body. A person would come to the website and click on different parts of the body and see how aging would happen (I suppose kind-of like WebMD). This is a valid approach, but on some level, I think some people might be turned off because it might look too much like a "text-book" or something related to "homework".

Edited by Mind, 09 February 2013 - 09:15 PM.

[rikelme]

Mind,

I'm very honored that you are ready to adjust the meetings according to my schedule. Thank you for that. Unfortunately, as you can already see as I haven't replied for more than a week, some unforeseen obligations hit me hard and I will not be able to actively participate in this project for next several months. I will be following this topic though, and I find that I can help you guys with some technical advice, I'll gladly do so.

I wish you guys all the best, and I really hope that this project will see the light of day.

[marcobjj]

Last year LongeCity was offering in the range of $1,000-2,000 for some graphic artist to make a nice pixel art graphic of a city to put on our front page or forum pages. We couldn't find anyone. Maybe we could offer this money for someone to make Moskalev's chart into an interactive graphic.

is the offer still standing? I'm a graphic designer and Flash/Java expert. My portfolio site is flashguy.net and you may reach me at marcobjj@gmail.com

[Mind]

Daniel, has used the js-mindmap to represent the denigma project. As atralyn showed earlier, the tools exist to make our boring schematics come to life, now we just need to put it all together.

[Mind]

The most comprehensive metabolism graphic/schema to date, I suspect. Nice to see what can be done when a ton of money is available to put it together.

Made by Thiele Lab - anyone know them? This is of course what we are striving for in terms of the aging schema, although we were hoping to have levels that were more accessible to non-experts, looks nicer, is interactive, what-not. I wonder if we could use their data or collaborate with them in some way.

Do I need special software to view this thing....it wasn't obvious how to use the data.

[Avatar of Horus]

First a quote from Wikipedia, for a general overview of the subject:

Biomarkers of aging
Biomarkers of aging are biomarkers that better predict functional capacity at a later age than chronological age.^[1] Stated another way, biomarkers of aging would give the true "biological age", which may be different from the chronological age.
Validated biomarkers of aging would allow for testing interventions to extend lifespan, because changes in the biomarkers would be observable throughout the lifespan of the organism.^[1] Ideally, biomarkers of aging should assay the biological process of ageing and not a predisposition to disease, should cause a minimal amount of trauma to assay in the organism, and should be reproducibly measurable during a short interval compared to the lifespan of the organism.^[1]
Although graying of hair increases with age,^[2] hair graying cannot be called a biomarker of ageing. Similarly, skin wrinkles and other common changes seen with aging are not better indicators of future functionality than chronological age. Biogerontologists have continued efforts to find and validate biomarkers of aging, but success thus far has been limited. Although maximum lifespan would be a means of validating biomarkers of aging, it would not be a practical means for long-lived species such as humans.^[3] Levels of CD4 and CD8 memory T cells and naive T cells have been used to give good predictions of the expected lifespan of middle-aged mice.^[4]

• George T. Baker, III and Richard L. Sprott (1988). "Biomarkers of aging". EXPERIMENTAL GERONTOLOGY 23 (4-5): 223–239. PMID 3197777.

...

Just another example of how this type of project is being duplicated elsewhere. This idea has been floating around for decades yet no one has "broke through" to capture a larger audience, to make the science of aging more understandable, accessible, and intuitive (you can find a whole lot of complicated schematics though). The is why we HAVE to succeed in jump starting it here!

I just wanted to point everyone to this current effort as well: http://www.denigma.de/ontology/graph

It is pretty much everything we could hope for, however, it definitely needs the "eye-candy" factor. The graphic is great however, we need it to be interactive and intuitive for non-tech people. I wonder if there is a way to make it 3-dimensional. It should have an expert/mode level and a more simplified level (a "gamified" version).

I also want to again note the "engagement" factor and the potential "what can I do" elements of the project. If you talk to Aubrey or other people focused on engineering an end to biological aging, they would say we already know enough to begin rejuvenation therapies, that "aging schematics" might be a waste of time, however, I do not think this to be the case. A properly done, detailed, and more engaging presentation about what aging is and how it happens has the potential to draw more people into the fold, young and old alike. More researchers, more donations, and more understanding will hopefully accelerate the pace of discovery and eventual biological rejuvenation.

We are open to ideas for "gamification" at different levels of the schematic. If something is useful AND entertaining, it is more likely to catch a wider audience. The entertainment factor is of course secondary but should not be ignored.

A quote of mine from the 'Bioscience/Young Blood Reverses Signs of Aging in Old Mice' topic:

...
The discussed CCL11/eotaxin1's receptor is the CCR3. And I found that not only this chemokine is elevated in the aging process, but also its receptor, at least in certain cell types, e.g. here:
Upregulation of CCR3 by age-related stresses promotes choroidal endothelial cell migration via VEGF-dependent and -independent signaling, 2011. pubmed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21917937
Its Figure 1C:

So this CCL11/CCR3 thing may be one of the underlying mechanism of ageing.

It may not be "eye-candy" and such, but I find these types of graphs rather powerful. And proper for as illustration of the biomarkers, and simple for interpretation for both the lay and expert peoples.
So possibly these kind of figures could be good at least for the scientific background part of the schema.
This is partially similar to this one:

from here:

Dr Moskalev also have his schema in DB view
here it is, with google translate
http://translate.goo...nes.ru/view.php

... I thought along the lines of a wiki-like data model.
xls is here: https://docs.google....9wZWQxUXc#gid=0

[Avatar of Horus]

Proteins induced by telomere dysfunction and DNA damage represent biomarkers of human aging and disease
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Aug 12;105(32):11299-304. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0801457105. Epub 2008 Aug 11.
Jiang H, Schiffer E, Song Z, Wang J, Zürbig P, Thedieck K, Moes S, Bantel H, Saal N, Jantos J, Brecht M, Jenö P, Hall MN, Hager K, Manns MP, Hecker H, Ganser A, Döhner K, Bartke A, Meissner C, Mischak H, Ju Z, Rudolph KL.
Institute of Molecular Medicine and Max Planck Research Group on Stem Cell Aging and Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/18695223

Abstract
Telomere dysfunction limits the proliferative capacity of human cells by activation of DNA damage responses, inducing senescence or apoptosis. In humans, telomere shortening occurs in the vast majority of tissues during aging, and telomere shortening is accelerated in chronic diseases that increase the rate of cell turnover. Yet, the functional role of telomere dysfunction and DNA damage in human aging and diseases remains under debate. Here, we identified marker proteins (i.e., CRAMP, stathmin, EF-1alpha, and chitinase) that are secreted from telomere-dysfunctional bone-marrow cells of late generation telomerase knockout mice (G4mTerc(-/-)). The expression levels of these proteins increase in blood and in various tissues of aging G4mTerc(-/-) mice but not in aging mice with long telomere reserves. Orthologs of these proteins are up-regulated in late-passage presenescent human fibroblasts and in early passage human cells in response to gamma-irradiation. The study shows that the expression level of these marker proteins increases in the blood plasma of aging humans and shows a further increase in geriatric patients with aging-associated diseases. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the expression of the biomarkers in the blood plasma of patients with chronic diseases that are associated with increased rates of cell turnover and telomere shortening, such as cirrhosis and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Analysis of blinded test samples validated the effectiveness of the biomarkers to discriminate between young and old, and between disease groups (MDS, cirrhosis) and healthy controls. These results support the concept that telomere dysfunction and DNA damage are interconnected pathways that are activated during human aging and disease.

[Avatar of Horus]

Prelamin A acts to accelerate smooth muscle cell senescence and is a novel biomarker of human vascular aging
Circulation. 2010 May 25;121(20):2200-10. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.902056. Epub 2010 May 10.
Ragnauth CD, Warren DT, Liu Y, McNair R, Tajsic T, Figg N, Shroff R, Skepper J, Shanahan CM.
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kings College London, James Black Centre, 125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20458013

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a rare inherited disorder of premature aging caused by mutations in LMNA or Zmpste24 that disrupt nuclear lamin A processing, leading to the accumulation of prelamin A. Patients develop severe premature arteriosclerosis characterized by vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification and attrition.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
To determine whether defective lamin A processing is associated with vascular aging in the normal population, we examined the profile of lamin A expression in normal and aged VSMCs. In vitro, aged VSMCs rapidly accumulated prelamin A coincidently with nuclear morphology defects, and these defects were reversible by treatment with farnesylation inhibitors and statins. In human arteries, prelamin A accumulation was not observed in young healthy vessels but was prevalent in medial VSMCs from aged individuals and in atherosclerotic lesions, where it often colocalized with senescent and degenerate VSMCs. Prelamin A accumulation correlated with downregulation of the lamin A processing enzyme Zmpste24/FACE1, and FACE1 mRNA and protein levels were reduced in response to oxidative stress. Small interfering RNA knockdown of FACE1 reiterated the prelamin A-induced nuclear morphology defects characteristic of aged VSMCs, and overexpression of prelamin A accelerated VSMC senescence. We show that prelamin A acts to disrupt mitosis and induce DNA damage in VSMCs, leading to mitotic failure, genomic instability, and premature senescence.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows that prelamin A is a novel biomarker of VSMC aging and disease that acts to accelerate senescence. It therefore represents a novel target to ameliorate the effects of age-induced vascular dysfunction.

Some more info about lamin A and aging in an older topic I've found here:
Creating a unified theory of aging
http://www.longecity...heory-of-aging/

Edited by Avatar of Horus, 13 November 2013 - 05:44 AM.

[Avatar of Horus]

It seems some developments have been made:

pdf direct link: http://www.scienceag...rmo_ENG_fin.pdf
from the http://www.scienceag.../index_ENG.html webpage.