William Haseltine
CEO Human Genome Science
The following is an excerpt from a recent interview that the Life Extension Foundation (LEF) conducted with William Haseltine.
LEF: We're very interested in your viewpoint about human immortality. Could you please tell us what your view is on this subject?
WH: In the past few years it has become possible for the first time to construct a scenario in which humans may become immortal: by the systematic replacement of stem cells.
Death is not an intrinsic property of life. Life is intrinsically immortal. Our germ cells are the decedents of a four-billion-year old, unbroken chain of cell divisions. The molecule that determines our structure and function, our DNA, has conveyed the basis of life continuously. There is no reason why DNA cannot continue to convey the basis of life for another four billion years. Nothing about life necessitates death.
One theory of aging is that the stem cells in an individual age and eventually fail to reproduce. If stem cell death is the predominant driver of aging, then the solution is to replace old stem cells with young. That hypothesis will be tested, first in animals, and if results are positive, in humans.
LEF: Are you familiar with research being done at Advanced Cell Technology?
WH: I am familiar with some of the work that company is doing.
LEF: Are you familiar with their demonstration that they can use therapeutic cloning to reverse the aging clock?
WH: They recently published a paper in the journal I edit showing that this does not yet work in the case of humans.
Development proceeds to a certain point-to about six cells-but not further. Until such time as it can be shown that the cloned embryo can develop past the 6-cell stage to the blastocyst stage, I think the jury is still out. It may be possible some day. That is one of the reasons we need many groups active in this area.
LEF: Going back to how stem cells might be used to eliminate aging, have you considered that there may be old cells around that are not dead, and therefore cannot simply be replaced, but are nevertheless misbehaving?
WH: That is possible. One way to address that possibility would be to introduce drug resistance markers into the new stem cells. Once those stem cells have displaced enough of the previous ones, the old cells could be killed.
LEF: Yes, that could be done.
WH: The strategy would depend on a very thorough and systematic replacement of the existing cells. However, we do not know enough about the fundamental processes of aging. The process of stem cell death may be only part of the answer.
LEF: Right.
WH: For the first time, though, it is conceptually possible to chart a path to human immortality. Whether that path will lead to success, nobody yet knows.
LEF: Has anyone criticized you for even thinking about things like that?
WH: I do not believe people should be criticized for thinking.
LEF: Very good. Thank you for a refreshing and forthright interview.
WH: Thank you.
Follow this link for the complete interview:
http://www.lef.org/m...seltine_01.html
