#AGING #PETER DE KEIZER #PEPTIDE FOXO4 #CHRISTIAN #CREATION SCIENCE #sciencedaily

NEW BREAK IN HEALING AGING CELLS

Greetings ladies and gentlemen! Can you believe another week has passed already? Time really flies. Especially when children are involved. Many times I have had to drop what I am doing to help with the kids. And then before I know it, here I am again trying to write on my weekly blog, ha ha! I have a favor to ask you fine people out there. My sister just had knee surgery and I ask for your prayers for a quick healing. Thank you so much.

Speaking of time passing, that process also affects our aging process. Scientists have come up with a new breakthrough in aging. Cell Press has released an article (March 23, 2017) by senior author and researcher, Peter de Keizer from Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands. He has been

developing a peptide for the last four years that works by blocking the ability of a protein, FOXO4, connected to senescence (aging cells/the aging process) to tell another protein, p53, not to cause the cell to self-destruct. By interfering with the FOXO4-p53 crosstalk, the peptide causes senescent cells to commit cell suicide. Thus the aged cell doesn’t continue to divide and “reproduce” more aging cells. The peptide selectively seeks out and destroys these broken-down cells that hamper proper tissue renewal. 

De Keizer tells us, ”Only in senescent cells does this peptide cause cell death. We treated mice for over 10 months, giving them infusions of the peptide three times a week, and we didn't see any obvious side effects. FOXO4 is barely expressed in non-senescent cells, so that makes the peptide interesting as the FOXO4-p53 interaction is especially

This photograph shows two fast-aging mice. The mouse on the left was treated with a FOXO4 peptide, which targets senescent cells and leads to hair regrowth in ten days. The mouse on the right was not treated with the peptide.

Credit: Peter L.J. de Keizer

relevant to senescent cells, but not normal cells."

The experiments were conducted “…in naturally-aged mice and mice genetically engineered to rapidly age. The proof-of-concept study, published March 23 in Cell, found that an anti-senescent cell therapy could reverse age-related loss of fur, poor kidney function, and frailty. It is currently being tested whether the approach also extends lifespan, and human safety studies are being planned…Results appeared at different times over the course of treatment. Fast-aging mice with patches of missing fur began to recover their coats after 10 days. After about three weeks, fitness benefits began to show, with older mice running double the distance of their counterparts who did not receive the peptide. A month after treatment, aged mice showed an increase in markers indicating healthy kidney function.”

Very interesting and exciting. But is this something Christian should condone? In an article written by Ken Ham, “Mature

For Her Age” he states “When God created Adam and Eve and told them to be fruitful and multiply, He gave them mature bodies that were ready to produce children. Some people conclude that God would have created them with the appearance of age, say 20 or 30 years old. But would ‘age’ have any effect on Adam’s body before he sinned? If the first people—and the universe—were originally designed to last forever, would you expect to see any difference between a man at age 30 or at age 3,000? When doctors look at the human body today, they can estimate age from various evidences in the body. But before sin, nothing aged—everything was created ‘very good.’ The human body did not experience the effects of sin or aging.” Mr. Ham did not write this article in relation to human engineering. It was an article on how we are “brain washed” to look at the universe as old. But he points out vital information; that the entire universe was original designed to NOT grow old! So is it ethical to except this type of human engineering? My personal opinion is yes. It is an advancement in medicine that can elevate suffering. Just like the many accepted advances already made in medical science. As far as I can tell, the scientists involved are not trying to play God. As a matter of fact, de Keizer states, "This wave of research on how we can fight aging is complementary, and not in

competition.” In the end, God still has control of when it is our time to go. It doesn’t matter if we are in the best of health, God controls when we die. And He controls whether we go to heaven or hell. This is why he sent his only begotten son, Jesus, to die for our sins so we can spend eternity with Him in heaven. If only we would accept him as Lord and Savior.

Until next time, God bless and take care,

Willow Dressel

References:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170323141414.htm

https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/age-of-the-universe/mature-for-her-age/