Hi everyone,

We may be one step closer to finding the elusive ‘magic pill’ to cure all disease… and today’s topic is all about a potential breakthrough that could prevent disease from happening in the first place.

Enter TAC, a small molecule compound that may keep your telomeres—and life—long.

In this newsletter:

• Telomeres.

• TERT.

• TAC.

• Treatments.

• And more…

💥 Get ready for acronyms, biology, and the next anti-aging molecule!

Feel free to reach out at us at [email protected] with any comments or questions.

AGING

The next anti-aging molecule

Longer telomeres may reduce the risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other age-related conditions.

Researchers at The University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a new compound that may prevent cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and other age-related diseases, according to a UT article discussing preclinical findings published in Cell.

This small molecule compound is called TAC (TERT activating compound), and preclinical trials show that TAC brings TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase) back to physiologically youthful levels.

This ultimately suggests that TAC may reduce the hallmarks of aging. 

• TERT is the protein part of telomerase, a protein complex (protein + RNA) that creates and extends telomeres.

 Let’s talk about telomeres and anti-aging 

• 🧬 Telomeres (the end cap of DNA) are important because they keep our genome stable. A stable genome is able to repair DNA, and it slows aging. 

• 🤏 Telomeres shorten as we age. As we get older, telomerase (which extends telomeres) becomes less active, and telomeres shorten.

• 🥀 Shorter telomeres can cause genomic instability. This can lead to cellular aging, cancer, cellular degeneration, and a host of negative health outcomes.

• 🛑 The goal of many aging therapeutics is to prevent telomeres from shrinking, as long telomeres are associated with a long life. They protect chromosomes, reduce risk of disease, and prolong healthy lifespan.

→ Click here to learn how you can measure telomere length at home 📏.

How does TERT affect aging?

During previous studies, UT researchers deactivated the TERT gene in vivo (in the body), which caused premature aging in cells. 

• Notably, TERT is epigenetically silenced during the natural aging process and at the onset of age-related diseases.

“Epigenetic repression of TERT plays a major role in the cellular decline seen at the onset of aging,” said corresponding author Ronald DePinho, MD, professor of Cancer Biology, in the article.

Reactivating TERT reversed premature aging. It also influenced other mechanisms of the TERT enzyme.

Based on this evidence, TERT does MORE than extend telomeres–it directly impacts the aging process.

TAC eliminates the hallmarks of aging 

Knowing that TERT, directly impacts the aging process, researchers wanted to find a treatment that restores TERT levels. They siphoned through 650,000 compounds before discovering TAC.

During the Cell research, TAC activated the TERT gene to restore TERT levels.

“By pharmacologically restoring youthful TERT levels, we reprogrammed expression of those genes, resulting in improved cognition and muscle performance while eliminating hallmarks linked to many age-related diseases,” said DePinho in the UT article.

Six months of treatment with TAC helped older brains create new neurons in the memory center of the brain (hippocampus). 

• The ability to keep building new neurons as we age ensures that our working memory lasts a lifetime. Risk of Alzheimer’s is worse when neurogenesis slows down, according to research from Columbia University.

TAC also improved cognition, gene expression in genes associated with learning and memory, reduced inflammaging (age-related inflammation) in blood and tissue samples, and reduced cellular senescence.

• Senescent cells do not reproduce but cannot die. They can build up in the body and release inflammatory molecules, damage healthy cells, and potentially cause cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The molecule also improved neuromuscular function, coordination, grip strength, speed, and age-related muscle loss, and increased telomere synthesis in human cell samples.

“These preclinical results are encouraging, as TAC is easily absorbed by all tissues, including the central nervous system,” DePinho says.

More clinical trials have to confirm these positive preclinical results, but researchers are hopeful for a future where we can prevent the hallmarks of age-related diseases.

“Our deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the aging process has uncovered viable drug targets, allowing us to explore opportunities to intercept the causes of a variety of major age-related chronic diseases,” says DePinho.

Preventing telomere shortening to slow aging

On a high level, TAC gets to the root of the thing that may cause aging and disease—shortening telomeres.

Telomeres are the focus of a lot of longevity research today, as changes in telomere length can promote degenerative diseases, cancer, auto-immune conditions, and more.

Our lifestyle habits can change telomere length, so engaging in a healthy lifestyle can help our telomeres to naturally stay long.

Click here to learn how you can naturally prevent telomere shortening.

Age in Reverse

Measure telomere length at home

Imagine being able to see the length of your telomeres and know how to stop them from shortening. TruDiagnostic’s TruAge COMPLETE at-home epigenetic test is a certified diagnostic test that measures baseline biologic age, telomere length, and 75+ aging biomarkers.

• 📑 The easy-to-read report will help you understand results and offers valuable recommendations to slow your biologic aging.

• 🤲 It’s for everyone: From Kardashians and Rejuvenation Olympians to longevity enthusiasts and people who just want to be healthier.

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🔔 Catch up on last week’s newsletter

Fake avocado oil and magic mushrooms have us reconsidering what’s healthy and what’s not.

We can’t wait to cover more trending topics in longevity in our next newsletter. Stay tuned.

-Erin

Longevity Media LLC

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