Slower agin? (Magazine Review for Science)

Ranjana Mehta, “Survival Mode That Protects Cells When Oxygen Is Low Also Slows Aging”, Science Daily
A possible way to slow aging and fight old age disease?? Might that really be possible?? The answer is yes; a biochemical pathway that helps keep cells alive when oxygen is low also plays a role in longevity and resistance against some diseases of old age, which researchers are trying to use to find a way to not only slow age, but fight diseases.
Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have found that nematode worms live longer if their genetic make-up permits their cells to turn on the hypoxic response, a cell's protective reaction to a drop in oxygen, under normal oxygen conditions. Not only do these worms live longer, the researchers noted, but their cells are relatively free from the toxic proteins that accumulate and clump together as an animal ages. Researchers state that defining cellular mechanisms that prevent accumulation of these proteins may point to new therapeutic targets for devastating diseases that often accompany old age in people.
This being said, I think it is amazing how science is evolving and changing. It is breath-taking how we are on the verge of maybe finding a way to longer life spans. This research and technology, if successful, could and should be used to help those who wish to prolong their life and definitely those who are suffering from a disease caused by old age.
This new technology and research would be terrific, as it would greatly benefit those suffering from old age diseases. In the article, a researcher states, "What we're focused on now is figuring out how HIF is protecting the animals from aging. In both worms and people.” Kaeberlein agrees. "This is a completely new pathway for aging and age-associated disease. If we can understand at a very detailed level how HIF is slowing aging, we may be able to use that information to develop effective therapies for treating age-associated diseases in people."
In conclusion, it would be marvelous if scientists and researchers succeeded in finding the way to prolong age and maybe halt old age diseases. There are many who are dying from these diseases every day, who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and several other degenerative conditions that afflict the elderly. This new method and technology could change the world as we know it.