ANTI-AGING NEWS

This month, the New York Post and The Times of London published the article "Found: genes that let you live to 100," detailing longevity research at Leiden University.

Leiden University had previously published research on the physiological differences between centenarians and the rest of the population, finding that centenarians metabolize fats and glucose differently than the general population; that their skin ages more slowly; and that they have a lower prevalence of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. They also appear to have genetic protection against the effects of smoking and poor diet habits.

Now, the group has analyzed the genomes of these centenarians and found a suite of genes that are statistically much more common in centenarians than in the general population. The hope is that these genes can be used as drug discovery targets, and that one or more drugs can be developed that will afford us all the same protection against disease and environmental damage that centarians enjoy. The research itself is due to be published later this year.

Although this research seems unlikely to extend human lifespan beyond theoretical maximum of 125 years, it's definitely exciting news for us. After all, we've always believed ni Ray Kurzweil's moto, "Live long enough to live forever." Any technological advance that adds five years to our lives would give us five more years to find an advance that adds another five years to our lives. And so on.

You can read the article here at Times Online.

Sierra Sciences has a Facebook page that we use to keep our supporters up to date on the progress of our company. If you have a Facebook profile, you can receive these updates by "becoming a fan" of the company. Just visit this address and click "Become a Fan":http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sierra-Sciences/130839216671?ref=nf. Hope to see you there!

Sierra Sciences maintains a Twitter page where we post updates on our research, and the research of our colleagues in anti-aging science, in real time. Come follow us at http://twitter.com/SierraSci!

At our YouTube page, you can watch Dr. Andrews' presentations at last year's A4M conference in San Jose, and at the Manhattan Beach project last November. Be sure to subscribe to our channel so you don't miss upcoming videos! The channel can be found at http://www.youtube.com/sierrasciencesLLC.

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We're proud to report that, this month, Sierra Sciences has done a complete overhaul of our website and launched a new and improved version. It includes a significant amount of new content, including a "Research" page that presents some of Sierra Sciences' research (originally presented in poster form at scientific conferences) that led to the development of our assay and our telomerase inducers.

The website is online at http://www.sierrasci.com.

As with any new site, there may be a few bugs to be worked out, so we'd really welcome any feedback you could provide us!

We're happy to announce that Randy Lee, previously our Systems Analyst in charge of the maintenance of our scientific databases, has been promoted to Director, IT Services and placed in charge of all information technology at Sierra Sciences.

Randy joined Sierra Sciences as a database consultant in July 2008, and for the last year, he's been working tirelessly to upgrade our databases to accommodate our massive, and expanding, screening effort. He's regularly worked late into the night, often the last person to leave the building at midnight or later- six or seven days a week.

We're all grateful for the dedication Randy has shown the company, and excited to see how much he can accomplish in his new position!

For the last two years, Dr. Andrwes has entered and completed the Badwater ultramarathon, a 135-mile, 44-hour race through the lowest elevation in North America - Death Valley, California, at nearly 300 feet below sea level. With temperatures climbing as high as 130 degrees, the pavement becomes so hot that it melts right through several pairs of running shoes over the course of the race.

This year, Dr. Andrews has decided to run what is essentially the exact opposite race: he's signed up for the inaugural The High ultramarathon, a 135-mile, 60-hour race across the Leh-Manali Highway. The race will take place on July 24-July 26.

Situated in the Himalaya mountains, the Leh-Menali is one of the highest altitude roads in the world, climbing higher than 17,500 feet above sea level. The temperatures at this race are expected to be as high as 95 degrees at times, and at others, sub-zero: at elevations above 16,000 feet, the snow in the Himalayas never melts. The biggest danger in this race is the High Altitude Sickness; to reduce the risk, Dr. Andrews will need to spend a full week at the starting line to acclimate.

These kinds of ultramarathons are part of Dr. Andrews' inspiration for seeking a cure for aging. At 58 years old, he's determined not to let his age stop him from pushing himself to the limits of what the human body can accomplish-not now; and, if we have anything to say about it, not fify years from now.