| LE Magazine April 1999
 Can We Cure Aging In Time To Save Your Life?
The ultimate goal of The Life Extension Foundation is to gain total control over aging and death. A few years ago, Foundation President Saul Kent set the year 2020 as a key milestone in this quest. Saul Kent will be 80 years old in 2020. He would like to develop scientific methods to conquer aging and death before then. Five months ago, Saul Kent started devoting all his time to the research necessary to achieve this goal. He now works full time on research projects designed to extend the human life span radically.
One of the many projects Saul has taken on is working with the Universities of Wisconsin and California at Riverside, where scientists are conducting the multiple studies in The Foundation's path-breaking Life Span Project. He is also working with other scientists to develop new anti-aging research projects at universities, medical centers, and biotech companies. Saul also oversees the scientists at two Southern California laboratories funded by The Foundation to conduct Suspended Animation research to stop death cold in its tracks, and Resuscitation research to reverse the dying process!
Full-time for Saul Kent means 18 hour days, no vacations, holidays or sick days. The labs are staffed by innovative, dedicated scientists 365-days a year. These scientists share Saul's relentless passion to develop medical breakthroughs before they, too, fall victim to disability and death.
It's not just The Life Extension Foundation pursuing the "fountain of youth", but dozens of academic and corporate institutions as well. New studies appear weekly on anti-aging research and the other life extension sciences. For example, New York University scientists recently announced the development of a machine made out of a few strands of DNA, representing the first step toward building nanorobots capable of repairing cell damage at the molecular level and restoring cells, organs and entire organisms to youthful vigor. This is yet another major breakthrough in the field of "nanomedicine," where scientists are striving to acquire the ability to completely repair all types of damage from injury, disease and aging!
For those who can't wait for nanomedicine to be perfected, scientists in the fields of tissue engineering, cloning, transplantation and genetic engineering are making rapid progress in developing breakthrough therapies to extend life span. One dedicated life extensionist is Don Kleinsek, Ph.D., who heads a company called GeriGene Medical Corp. that seeks to identify and gain control over the genes responsible for aging. Genes are molecular programs that control all life processes. Some genes that cells need to function properly "turn off" as humans age, while other genes that make cells susceptible to degeneration and death "turn on". A front-runner in gerontological genetics, GeriGene looks to prolong life through genetic engineering. Dr. Kleinsek, whose advances to date include proof of altered gene expression during cell senescence, seeks to develop genetic therapies aimed at controlling aging and its associated diseases.
Stem cell therapies and bioengineered cells, tissues and organs are being developed at a rapid pace, and it may soon be possible to regenerate and replace worn out, diseased or injured body parts by injecting young natural or engineered cells into the blood stream to revitalize body systems, and by replacing tissues and organs with brand new parts.
Will these medical breakthroughs occur fast enough to save our lives? At this point, even small increases in the funding of certain critically important research projects could yield significant results. The good news is that Foundation membership is growing, and we expect to be able to fund more critical life span extension research this year as more and more members purchase our advanced products. Your membership dues and product purchases are of enormous help in pushing this research forward.
For those who want to do more, we want to remind you that we are a non-profit organization and that your donations are tax deductible. Unlike other non-profits who use donations to pay overhead and administrative costs, The Life Extension Foundation covers these costs from product purchase revenues. That means that we apply 100% of your donations to fund research to make you younger, healthier and longer-lived. For large donations, we even tell you exactly how your donation is being used, and send you copies of our checks to the scientists your donations are funding, so that you can have front row seats in the war against aging and death! So let's hear from you. You have nothing to lose but your lives!
William Faloon
Vice President
Life Extension Foundation
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