International Scientific Conference I - June, 2000

June 2000 Scientific Conference

On June 24th and 25th, 2000, Maximum Life Foundation sponsored its first international anti-aging medicine scientific conference at the Manhattan Beach Marriott in Manhattan Beach, California.

Its purpose was to brainstorm ideas that could lead to breakthroughs in anti-aging medicine.

Summary

In this inaugural conference, the participants were asked to provide Maximum Life Foundation's staff with a framework to begin assessing the current state of gerontological research.

Participants

Robert Bradbury Stephen Coles, MD, PhD Aubrey de Grey, PhD	President, Aeiveos Corp . Cofounder, L.A. Gerontology Research Group Research Associate, Cambridge University, Dept. of Genetics
Gregory Fahy, PhD Robert Freitas	VP & Director of R & D, 21st Century Medicine Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Manufacturing; Research Scientist, Zyvex Inc.
Chris Heward, PhD	Director, Research and Development, The Kronos Group; Senior Research Fellow, UCLA Program on Medicine, Technology and Society
Michal Preminger, PhD Michael Rose, PhD	VP Drug Discovery, Compugen Inc. Professor, Evolutionary Biology of Aging, Evolutionary Genetics, University of California, Irvine
George Roth, PhD Jeff Seilhamer, PhD Greg Stock, PhD	President Gerotech, Inc.; Senior Guest Scientist, NIA VP, Exploratory Biology, Incyte Genomics, Inc. Director, UCLA Program on Medicine, Technology and Society
Bob Swanson, PhD Rick Weindruch, PhD	VP, Global Systems, Concurrent Technologies Corp Professor, Medical School, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Conference Staff
Conference Organizer
David Kekich	President, Maximum Life Foundation
Moderator
Peter Passaro	Vice President, Maximum Life Foundation
Event Coordinators
Suzanne Hampton Joshua Watts	Secretary, Maximum Life Foundation Operations Manager, Maximum Life Foundation

The following is a breakdown of the ideas discussed at the Conference.

General Thoughts in the Field

Prioritize Interventions
Aging Viewed as a Thermodynamic Process
Biomarkers - Metrics of Aging
Identify Environmental Factors
Definitively Proving or Disproving Theories of Aging - Slaughtering Sacred Cows
- Nuclear DNA Mutations/ Telomeres - polymerase, methylase, telomere control
- Mitochondrial DNA Mutations - dodgy gamma polymerase
- Lipofuscin - Vit. E deficiency?
- Extracellular/Vascular Junk (plaques)
Devise Methods to Take Advantage of the Emerging Technologies
- Brute Force Technologies:
  - Microarrays
  - Chips
  - Computational Power - Bioinformatics
  - Lab on a Chip Tech
- Proteomics - Protein-Protein Interactions

Social Engineering - Swaying Public Opinion

Sell the Psychology Before Selling the Technology
Unite Scientific and Lay Communities
Promote the View that Aging is a Genetic Disease
Killer Application To Get Public Behind the Science

Genomics - What Genes are Involved in Aging?

Monitor Tissue Specific mRNA Expression Levels to Determine Which Genes are Affected by CR Regimens. Lifespan Genetics Proposes to Have this Information in Two to Three Years.
Identify Longevity Assurance Genes and Their Regulation

Proposed Genomic Information Targets

Long and Short Lived Opossums
Immortal Organisms - Hydras, Sea Anemone
Centenarians/Long Lived Families

Genome Comparisons

Find Agenes in Species with Characterized Genomes and Look for Homologues in Uncharacterized Species
- C. elegans
- Drosophila - Incyte Predicts Fly Chip Over the Next Few Months
- Mouse
- Human
SNP Chips - Observe Allelic Polymorphisms within a Population of Species
Use Transgenic (Knock in/ Knock out) Approaches to Validate the Causality of Genetic Findings.

Physiology

Studies on Regulation Glucagon/Insulin, Renin/Angiotensin/Aldosterone, and Sex Hormone Axes Changes with Aging Will Lead to Understanding of Global Genetic Regulation.
CIStem Molecular Corp.- Regulomics -Rapidly Elucidate Cis Sequences and Trans Factors Involved in Any Genetic Circuit

Pharmacological Interventions

Gerotech - Study Physiology of CR, Searching for CR Mimetics
Up-Regulation of Heat Shock Proteins and Anti-Oxidant Enzymes to Retard Aging
Hormone Therapy - Quality of Life Kronos Group Hormone Treatment Battery Single Gene Drug Targets
Micronutrients tested by Kronos
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
- Melatonin
- Tocopherol
- Aminoguanidine
- Co-Q10

Stem Cells

Find Genes that Maintain Stem Cells as Stem Cells
Identify Factors for Differentiation and De-differentiation (Geron/Celera Collaboration)
Find Out Cause of Totipotency in Egg/Sperm Union (Spermatagonia/Oogonia)
Adult Mesenchymal Cells that Act as Stem Cells -Possibility of Manipulation?
Tissue Engineering and Complex Structure Regeneration

Things That Need to Be Developed

Incyte Fly Chips, SNP Chips Humans 2 yrs, Mouse Chips?
Primate - Rhesus, Chimpanzee
Aging Genome Library (ala Cancer Genome Library)
Mortality Rate Databases (Control for Human Experiments)

Institute

Needs
- Funding - $1.5 Million, Lab Equipment
  - $400,000 Chip Building Robot
  - Possible Funding By NSF
- Animals
- Space - 4000 - 6000 sq ft for 8-16 Technicians
- Employees
- Database Programmers
- Secured Channel Email/Phone System
Explore possibility of using space in P4 labs being build around the country
Facility Capabilities
- Genetic Model Comparisons
- Sequencing
- Chip Technology
- CR Mimetic Studies
- Genomics
Explore University Affiliations for Basic Science Research
- Patent, Properties Problems
- Caltech Incubator Space
Associates
- Cyclical Contracting With Kronos Group
- Contracting With CTC, Incyte, Compugen