Methuselah Was How Old?!

The Methuselah Foundation is a non profit organization founded by biogerontologist, Aubrey De Grey and David Gobel in 2000. Its purpose is to support research in anti-aging methods. De Grey is the chief scientist of the Methuselah Project/Prize launched in 2003. The prize of 4.5 million dollars is awarded to the team of researchers who can extend the lifespan of mice the most. The title of the project came from Methuselah, a religious figure in the bible who lived to be 969 years old. There are two prizes given; one for longevity and the other for rejuvenation. The one awarded for rejuvenation concentrates on therapy beginning at an older age, that is to reverse the process at its onset. Donations contribute to the prize money.
For the longevity prize, only one mouse is required and researchers are permitted to apply both genetic engineering and breeding. To compete for rejuvenation, however, 20 mice are control and another 20 undergo some sort of therapy. When the mouse reaches mid life, rejuvenation treatment can commence. The record for rejuvenation was set in 2005 at 3.7 years. This mouse underwent calorie restriction, which is a method biogerontologists consider to be somewhat effective.
Obviously the bigger picture involves incentive for funding towards anti-aging research in humans. The genome of a mouse is 85% similar to that of a human, which is encouraging if we already made progress in mice. However, some argue that drosophila (the fruit fly) would be more ideal. Three quarters of defective genes in humans have a similar version in drosophila. In addition, more experiments that are less costly can be performed with fruit flies. Even so, this project is getting us closer to answers in anti-aging medicine and is stimulating the much needed funding to continue delving into the mysteries of this field. Maybe through continued studies in animals we will find it safe to do the same with human test subjects. As long as such research is done with appropriate regulations, determined after much debate of course, there is no reason not to pursue more knowledge. Click below for a link to a presentation by Aubrey De Grey:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iYpxRXlboQ

Article: http://www.lumrix.net/health/Methuselah_Mouse_Prize.html