THEORY ADVANCES TO PROVEN SCIENCE ...

SCIENCE BEFORE MEDICINE !

THE TELOMERE SHORTENING PROCESS
OF AGING

Back in 1961, an American Scientist, Leonard Hayflick, made a startling find. There is a finite number of divisions that human nucleii can undergo before they run out of steam. He is the first scientist to discover a numerical limit to these replications, approximately 52, known as the Hayflick limit. In 1992, scientists at Geron, a molecular biology firm in Menlo Park, California, with supporting roles at Southwestern Medical School made another major find. Chromosome length declined with each subsequent replication.

THE END REPLICATION PROBLEM
DESCRIBED WITH BRICKS

Imagine a building or any facility that needed to be shored up, repaired, at fixed intervals of time. Now sense an imaginary closed system where construction crews could obtain raw materials only from existing structures. Let’s say the only way to obtain raw goods is from entities that are in the process of decay themselves. Now let’s say the raw material we need is BRICKS! The workman is dismantling bricks from another structure, that may be damaged, in order to shore up the wall in need.

EVENTUALLY OUR BUILDING WILL
RUN OUT OF MATERIALS..

As the brick mason tears out bricks top down from one wall in order to repair another one, the existing brick wall is left compromised. The net gain, therefore, is less than zero. Not just that, but the new wall is built with too few bricks and has the appearance of being damaged. Let’s say that the brick walls need repairs every 10 years, we will eventually run short of materials to do the job and our walls will appear incomplete. Our party is gauranteed to wind down !

THE SAME APPLIES TO TELOMERIC DNA
IN HUMANS ..

Our telomeres are like stackable brick units holding together our DNA and contain many of the raw materials needed to construct offspring DNA when our cells replicate. Just like the imaginary building analogous to an isothermal or closed system, our DNA gives up a certain amout of its structure to provide structure for the offspring DNA, about 200-300 nucleotides. This is the mechanism by which maintenance is carried out on a cellular level.

ELECTRONIC MICROSCOPY OUTLINES
TELOMERES IN THIS CONTRAST IMAGE.

Similar to the caps on the end of a shoelace which keep the lace from unraveling, the extraneous nucleotides called telomeres, are repeated sequences of amino acids . We lose 200-300 amino acid base pairs with each subsequent replication. As seen in this image, the telomere regions skirt the ends. It took well over 30 years before scientists really knew the mechanism behind biological aging. Researchers use a PCR(Polymerase Chain Reaction) to study them.

THE THYMUS GLAND MAY PLAY A ROLE
IN REGULATING TELOMERASE.

In early life, the thymus gland produces an ample amount of thymosin which enables our bodies to grow and our telomeres to remain long throughout this process. Once we reach approximately 30 years, this gland has declined in function. Studies are underway to determine the role of the thymus gland in aging, and the relationship of thymosin to the telomerase enzyme. In addition, the role of thymosin in regernerative medicine is being studied.

RESEARCHERS STUDY NUMEROUS
COMPOUNDS FOR FEASABILITY.

One of the gotcha’s in the field of telomerase activation is turning on the telomerase gene without destroying the cell of causing malignancy. This is the primary source of controversy between traditional science and the telomerase activation campground. Our technicians are screening compounds and their efficacy is evaluated through advanced screening techniques. Those compounds showing promise are promoted to full time studies.

DIAGRAMS OF GENOME SEQUENCING
PROVIDE FUNCTIONAL GLIMPSES.

Gene mapping is an intricate science which has allowed scientists to map specific genome sequences to traits and inborn diseases. Diagrams such as this one became commonplace with the Human Genome Project. Achieving a correlation between diseases and/or functionality, and DNA sequences is ongoing, and sierra Sciences is specifically interested in the regulation of telomerase by subcatalysts such as hTERT(Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase. The subject of this study is Chromosome 5.

MEDICINE IS TRANSFORMING IN
AN UNLIKELY PLACE - THE HIGH SEIRRAS.

Medicine in the 21st century will focus on empowerment of the individual as opposed to mapping his destiny through outdated medical profiling. Doctors and researchers will work together under one roof to elevate the patient to pioneer status, with the patient's ideas and thoughts driving the course of action. This will soon replace archaic protocols.

Pursuing the science of molecular biology and anti-aging science
at its source..

Employing recently discovered DNA telomere science, Sierra Sciences is experimenting with the use of compounds to maintain chromosomal integrity. Telomeres are repeated sequences of DNA at the end of all our chromosomes. They serve as caps that protect our genes. These endpoint nucleotides grow shorter as we grow older.

First telomerase inducing chemical found with no adverse effects.

On November 6th, 2007, Sierra Sciences found its first telomerase inducing chemical; called C0057684. This chemical is the first ever discovered by Sierra that activates the telomerase enzyme gene without killing the cells. Efforts are presently underway to learn everything possible about C0057684. But in addition, C0057684 has provided Sierra Sciences with the first positive control ever for detection of telomerase gene activity in normal human cells. This has served as a very powerful tool for the development of robust high throughput screening assays for finding additional telomerase inducing chemicals

Our researchers are searching for and testing compounds, some of which occur naturally, to turn on a special gene in human subjects.

Welcome to our Lab !

Sierra Sciences is seeking individuals passionate about reversing the aging process to get involved in the company at levels of funding, strategy, and management. As new drugs are released into trials, Sierra will be looking for participants passionate about taking charge. The term "Ward of the State" is closer to retirement.

The process of biological aging is now understood as a function of DNA endcap loss.

In 1961 a gentleman by the name Leonard Hayflick proposed that there is a limit to the number of cellular offspring our bodies can generate in a lifetime. This number comes to approximately 52. Over the next 50 years, it was discovered that the number of residual base pairs that cap our DNA decline with each subsequent replication. Nobel Prize Laureate, Elizabeth Blackburn, studied the process by which the endcaps of our DNA, called Telomeres, shorten with age.

Almost 400 telomerase inducers found thus far from over 100,000 candidates.

These represent 32 distinct drug families of which the most potent compound as achieved 6% of our desired potency thus far.