Breakthrough in ageing research (Daily Express, 12 May 2008, Page 15)

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Breakthrough in aging research
By Carolyn Armstrong
Daily Express
12 May 2008

THE secrets of human aging ... thanks to the humble fruit fly.

... similarities between the way our genes age and genetic damage in the insect ... fruit flies carry an equivalent of the human aging gene WRN.

Flies with damage to this gene suffer similar effects to people with the rapid aging condition Werner syndrome ... causes sufferers to develop cancer because of unstable genes, and sufferers are sensitive to drugs used to treat the cancer.

The scientists found that low doses of the same drugs were enough to kill the flies with damaged genes.

Researcher Dr Robert Saunders, of the Open University ... Lead researcher Dr Lynne Cox ...

“By working on this gene in fruit flies, we can model human aging in a powerful experimental system.”

By Carolyn Armstrong

THE secrets of human ageing could be revealed at last – thanks to the humble fruit fly.

Scientists studying premature ageing in humans say they have discoveredkey similarities between the way our genes age and genetic damage inthe insect.

Their research shows how fruit flies carry an equivalent of the humanageing gene WRN. Flies with damage to this gene suffer similar effectsto people with the rapid ageing condition Werner syndrome.

Researcher Dr Robert Saunders, of the Open University, said: “This workshows for the first time that we can use the short-lived fruit fly toinvestigate the function of an important human ageing gene.

“We have opened up the exciting possibility of using this model systemto analyse the way that such genes work in a whole organism, not justin single cells.”

Werner syndrome causes sufferers to develop cancer because of unstablegenes, and sufferers are sensitive to drugs used to treat the cancer.The scientists found that low doses of the same drugs were enough tokill the flies with damaged genes.

Lead researcher Dr Lynne Cox, from Oxford University, added:“Scientists have made great progress in working out what the WRN genedoes in the test tube, but until now we haven’t been able toinvestigate the gene to look at its effect on development and the wholebody.

“By working on this gene in fruit flies, we can model human ageing in a powerful experimental system.”

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