Where is the mainspring of the "clock of life"?
The Pentagon is looking for hours of life
Dmitry Tselikov, Compulenta
At the heart of any biological process – from cell division to aging – are some hidden from prying eyes "clock". The Office of Advanced Research of the US Department of Defense (DARPA) set out to get to the bottom of this mechanism.
If (this "if" is not just big, it is huge) the recently announced Biochronicity program succeeds, we will understand why it is so difficult to defeat cancer, what allows stem cells to renew themselves and how cells are programmed to die. In other words, it will be one of the greatest breakthroughs in the history of science.
Scientists are still very vaguely aware of these processes. For example, we know that the carbohydrates we absorb are broken down to glucose, and then converted into ATP – the energy from which cells work. But when exactly this happens and how long each step takes is a mystery.
It is also known that some sections of DNA at the end of chromosomes (telomeres) are shortened whenever a cell divides, and this phenomenon plays a role in cell aging and death. Science also believes that normal cells turn into cancer through a series of mutations that interfere with error correction and tissue growth. And yet, when exactly a cell reaches programmed death, and cancer cells begin to multiply – God knows.
The first "clock genes" were discovered in the 1970s - they take part in the regulation of circadian rhythms in all organisms from blue–green algae to humans. But how exactly do genes, cellular processes and environmental factors interact? For many years, scientists believed that DNA sequencing would answer all the questions. As if not so. It turned out that too many things affect gene expression.
In short, it is obvious that all life processes depend on some kind of internal chronometer. In one respect, it works once in a lifetime (for example, the release of hormones during puberty), in another it acts on a daily basis (for example, metabolism). Scientists have discovered many different components of this watch, but none has been identified as the cornerstone.
This is the main regulator of the entire system (or, let's say, the main clock generator) that DARPA intends to find. The acquired knowledge is planned to be used to develop "predictive models of chronic molecular phenomena, the cell cycle, life expectancy, aging and cell death, stress response, as well as methods of treatment and drug delivery." The key word here is "predictive". DARPA is no longer content with biology as a descriptive tool for observing cells and enzymes. Now he needs mathematical models and algorithms so that he can know everything in advance. It seems that the prediction of computer science pioneer Alan Turing, who half a century ago saw biology as the result of modeling, is coming true.
DARPA was once famous for loud (and ridiculous) projects – from the creation of an artificial brain to "quantum weapons". But in recent years, the agency has increasingly spent resources on more "mundane" goals: social media analysis, development of medical web portals... From this point of view, the Biochronicity program is a return to the roots.
Prepared based on the materials of Wired: Darpa Searches for Life's Master Clock.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.07.2011