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IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology

Is RNA splicing the key to a longer and healthier life?

• http://newatlas.com, Michael Irving

But longer doesn't necessarily mean healthier, and those who reach the ripe old age of 100 might spend almost half their life battling age-related chronic disease. Now, a Harvard team has discovered a link between aging and a core biological process known as RNA splicing, which may be manipulated to not only increase our lifespan, but help us stay healthier for longer.

Proteins are the essential building blocks of cells, making up the structure of different parts of the body as well as carrying out and regulating the functions of organs and tissues. Our genes provide the blueprints for producing the required proteins, and one of the main parts of that process is RNA splicing, where RNA molecules are cut and reconnected to allow for more varied proteins to be expressed.

The effects that genes and proteins have on aging is well documented, and previous studies have found ways to use genes like AMPK and Nanog to delay or even reverse the effects of aging. But, the researchers point out, the splicing process remains relatively unexplored.