Researchers Find Human Aging Gene - In Fruit Flies

Working at the University of Oxford and The Open University, Dr Lynne Cox and Dr Robert Saunders say they have found a fast and effective way to investigate important aspects of human aging. Their discovery of a gene in fruit flies means they can now be used to study the effects aging has on DNA. The researchers demonstrate the value of this model in helping us to understand the critical aspects of human aging at cellular, genetic and biochemical levels. Dr Lynne Cox from the University of Oxford said: "We study a premature human ageing disease called Werner syndrome to help us understand normal aging. The key to this disease is that changes in a single gene (called WRN) mean that patients age very quickly. Scientists have made great progress in working out what this gene does in the test tube, but until now we haven’t been able to investigate the gene to look at its effect on development and the whole body. By working on this gene in fruit flies, we can model human aging in a powerful experimental system." read more

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