WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Methuselah
Foundation, the preeminent biomedical charity focused on extending
the healthy human lifespan, has contributed $1 million to Albert
Einstein College of Medicine to fund its development of
engineered replacement brain structures.
Jean M. Hérbert, professor of neurosciences and genetics at
Einstein, leads a team searching for ways to correct age-related
neurological damage by removing the damage and replacing it at the
small tissue level without losing memories or self-identity. Aging
is a leading risk factor for most common neurodegenerative
diseases, including strokes, brain tumors, aneurisms, cognitive
impairments and dementias.
"Neurological disease takes an enormous toll on older
individuals and their families," said David
Gobel, the Foundation's CEO. "Dr. Hérbert's team is trying
to achieve for the brain what medicine has long done with other
parts of the body: Replace damaged tissue.
"While brain transplants are out of the question, replacing
small tissue in the brain is within reach," he said. "This research
holds incredible promise for tens of millions of people around the
world who suffer from dementia and other age-related brain
diseases."
Einstein researchers have focused on neocortical tissue because
the neocortex is the largest part of the human brain and it houses
unique memories, thought patterns, highest cognitive abilities and
self-identity.
The Hébert group is developing a protocol to reverse age-related
brain damage by clearing damaged or degenerating tissue, then
depositing precursor brain cells in the cleared area. The neural
cells differentiate and form connections with appropriate targets
in the brain, restoring brain function.
Beyond repairing damaged brain tissue, researchers at Einstein
are also exploring the use of engineered brain structures to
accelerate the testing of drugs or therapies for any type of brain
disorder. Engineered brain tissue could be used to replace less
reliable animal models and would allow researchers to quickly
assess the efficacy of a drug or therapy on human tissue before
undertaking costly and time-consuming clinical trials.
"We are grateful for Methuselah Foundation's support," said
Hérbert. "The financial backing will certainly accelerate our
progress, but the Foundation's recognition of our work is equally
important. The Foundation has spent more than 20 years at the
forefront of aging research and finding cures for age-related
disease."
Einstein, ranked among the nation's top medical research
facilities, is based in New
York.
About Methuselah Foundation
Methuselah Foundation is a
biomedical charity established in 2001, and named after Methuselah,
the grandfather of Noah in the Hebrew Bible, whose lifespan was
recorded as 969 years. The Foundation's mission is to make age 90
the new 50 by 2030. The organization has funded independent
longevity research, underwritten several international competitions
aimed at promoting scientific breakthroughs, financed dozens of
companies and initiatives developing products to extend the healthy
human lifespan and created or sponsored four other foundations and
venture funds to promote the mission of extending healthy
life. For more information, visit the Foundation website, or
check it out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
For more information, contact:
Florina Gobel, Methuselah
Foundation
323870@email4pr.com or
(206) 643-8175
or
Jim Martinez, rightstorygroup
323870@email4pr.com or
(312) 543-9026
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SOURCE Methuselah Foundation