LongeCity.Org has decided to support the current CellAgeFundraiser initiative beyond its standard support for certified ‘star-rated’ community fundraiserthrough an extension of its affiliate labprogramme. To this end we have identified a specific small ‘sub goal’ withinthe first work project of the CellAge programme to get behind:
The LongeCity-supported sub-goal:
The first 'work project' of the CellAge fundraiser is to design candidate synthetic promoters which would be able to accurately detect senescent cells. One of the very first scientific steps is to analyse transcription profiles of senescent cells. The team plans to coverdifferent senescence states, in cells from different tissues and at different stage of senescence.
The LongeCity target fund is raised in support of achieving one variant of thisinitial sub-goal: to ascertain the unique RNA profile of induced senescence in human fibroblasts.
Why RNA profile? – this will not only allow the group to design their promoters, for the rest of the project but could also be useful to other groups working on aging research looking for a unique ‘aging signature’. This research will be publicly disseminated under the CellSense theme and potentially benefit other researchers across the globe.
Why human fibroblasts? – Fibroblast are cells that have an important role in connective tissue formation, including the formation of extracellular matrix and collagen, theyplay an important role in wound healing. For better or worse this cells are ubiquitous in aging research and can be obtained relatively easily as fresh biopsy samples and from cell lines. Using these cells will mean that the results are more likely to be relevant.
Why induced senescence? There is ‘replicative’ senescence where cells are grown until they stop dividing. This takes a while and may not be that important to why humans die of aging. Induced senescence comes in two forms: deliberateswitching off of certain genes and triggering senescence in a roundabout way by causing specific damage to the cell.These measures may be quite a better simulation as to how damage leads to aging in humans.
By clearly defining the boundaries of this sub-goal we can be assured that contributions made towards it are directly impactful. In fact, even if the whole project should need some more time to develop, just this sub-goal alone might be a valuable contribution to anti-aging research. At the same time all the data generated in the sub-goal is directly integral to the larger whole of the project.
LongeCity has committed to match $3000 worth of donations specifically in support of this sub-goal. Priority will be given to donations madethrough the LongeCity site--> HERE,prior to February 18th.
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