Cryogenics, Human Growth Hormone, and the Will to Live

Two postings on aging: the first deals with mitigating the effects of aging in those already old. The second posting will deal with new theories of cryopreservation that may finally provide a workable way forward to safely place people into "stasis" for later "re-animation".

A compound that stimulates the secretion of growth hormone can help older adults improve their physical function and lower their body fat percentage, according to study results that will be presented Wednesday, June 21, at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology in Pittsburgh. The results will be presented by Dr. George Merriam, professor of medicine at the University of Washington and a physician with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Merriam helped coordinate endocrine aspects of this multi-site study, along with Dr. Heidi White of Duke University and researchers at Pfizer, Inc. Nearly 400 adults from 65 to 84 years old were enrolled in the study, and were divided into groups receiving a placebo or one of four different levels of an oral growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), which stimulates the secretion of human growth hormone. Researchers measured the participants' fat and lean body (muscle) mass, as well as their performance in physical tests like stair climbing and a heel-to-toe walk. The participants also received blood tests for levels of growth hormone and a compound called IGF-1, a hormone which responds to growth hormone and mediates some of its effects. Participants receiving the GHS treatment saw a significant increase in lean body mass – about 1.5 kilograms, or 3.3 pounds. The GHS treatment led to improved physical function over the six- to 12-month study period. Participants also had higher levels of growth hormone and IGF-1 in their bloodstreams. Patients receiving the GHS treatment had minor side effects, including increased fatigue, insomnia, and fasting glucose levels. Growth hormone is vital in childhood growth, and production of the hormone peaks during puberty. However, it continues to affect physical function throughout our lives, and it regulates metabolism and body composition. As adults move into middle age, growth hormone production begins to taper off. Many of the effects of aging – increased abdominal fat, reduced muscle mass, and decreased physical function – look very similar to the symptoms of growth hormone deficiency in younger people. As those aging effects set in, many older adults find it difficult to care for themselves, and they lose quality of life and often turn to long-term care. Source.

Next, new ideas on cryopreservation:

In medicine, cryopreservation involves preserving organs and tissues for transplantation or other uses. Only certain kinds of cells and tissues, including sperm and embryos, currently can be frozen and successfully rewarmed. A major problem hindering wider use of cyropreservation is formation of ice crystals, which damage cell structures. Cyropreservation may be most familiar, however, as the controversial idea that humans, stricken with incurable diseases, might be frozen and then revived years or decades later when cures are available. Bogdan's experiments involved a form of water termed "glassy water," or low-density amorphous ice (LDA), which is produced by slowly supercooling diluted aqueous droplets. LDA melts into highly viscous water (HVW). Bogdan reports that HVW is not a new form of water, as some scientists believed. ...."It may seem fantastic, but the fact that in aqueous solution, [the] water component can be slowly supercooled to the glassy state and warmed back without the crystallization implies that, in principle, if the suitable cyroprotectant is created, cells in plants and living matter could withstand a large supercooling and survive," Bogdan explained. In present cryopreservation, the cells being preserved are often damaged due to freezing of water either on cooling or subsequent warming to room temperature. "Damage of the cells occurs due to the extra-cellular and intra-cellular ice formation which leads to dehydration and separation into the ice and concentrated unfrozen solution. If we could, by slow cooling/warming, supercool and then warm the cells without the crystallization of water then the cells would be undamaged." Source: American Chemical Society More at source.

In the future, several approaches to aging will be available. Those who choose to age "normally" will have the option of "optimising their years" without adding to them appreciably. HGH promoters, pumps, and depo injections will be useful for them. Others will want to add a few decades of high functioning years to their lives. For those, drugs that aid in DNA repair, protein crosslink repair, calorie restriction mimetics, and anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory supplements will probably do the trick. For those who want more radical extension to their lives, SENS-like approaches to rejuvenation engineering may eventually pay off. Stem cell repair and organ re-growth will definitely be available in the next few decades. More cyborg replacement parts will also be available in the next half century. The grand strategy is genetic engineering of a longer living body that rejuvenates itself constantly, and heals rapidly when injured.

Should safe and reliable cryogenics become available before the more radical lifespan extension strategies, it is conceivable that some might opt to be placed in "suspended animation" until the technologies for longer life are perfected. That might be particularly true for those dying prematurely of terminal illnesses.

Research into these technologies is being funded, sometimes under other pretexts. It is very likely that the goal of doubling the human lifespan will be achieved before the end of the century.