December 8, 2015 – Federal investments in research are paying
off in scientific breakthroughs that are “unleashing the power and potential of
proteins” in humans, which, by 2034, will have a significant effect on aging,
according to an essay published by the Washington, D.C.-based Science
Coalition.
“Many harbor this dream to age successfully, to maintain their
ability to function well as they age; to live longer and better.
By 2034, we
may be able live the dream,” according to “Science 2034” essay author Deepak
Vashishth, Ph.D., director of the Center for Biotechnology and
Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Science 2034 is an initiative by The Science Coalition to
focus on the possibilities of the future. The Science Coalition notes that,
while we don’t know what the next “Big Thing” will be, we can make some
educated predictions about how well-funded scientific research might change our
lives and our world.
Scientists, policymakers, and thought leaders weigh in on
what they think science will enable by 2034 and what that will mean to
individuals, society, and the world.
“Proteins are the fabric of our lives. The human body and its
microbiota potentially produce millions of proteins. With time, these proteins
get modified, inactivated, damaged, or under- or over- produced. Therein lies
the hazards and hopes,” Vashishth wrote.
For example, “In my lab at CBIS, we have identified protein
modifications in bone that, with aging, diabetes, and certain long-term drug
treatments, make bone brittle. Armed with that knowledge, and the mechanisms
that cause such modifications, we now know how to make old bones new again,”
Vashishth wrote. He also discusses progress in Alzheimer’s research and the
future for personalized medicines.
“Collaborative research at CBIS and elsewhere, all of which
engages students and prepares the next generation as interdisciplinary experts,
is made possible by support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
the National Science Foundation (NSF).
"Through continued federal support and
public-private global partnerships among universities and industries, there is
great potential to move the outcomes from the lab to the marketplace with
extraordinary impact on health-care delivery and on day-to-day living for
individuals,” according to Vashishth.
“Biotechnology and advanced techniques are unleashing a new
era with solutions to old problems and a lifeline to emerging personalized
treatments. At the current pace of change—capitalizing on our ability to better
understand, alter, and produce proteins—we can begin to imagine that diseases
such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and osteoporosis, that now wreak havoc on our
golden years, will become a distant memory,” he wrote.
To read Vashishth’s full essay “Unleashing the Power and
Potential of Proteins” and to listen to the podcast, go to
http://www.science2034.org/medicine/podcast-the-power-and-potential-of-proteins/
.
Deepak Vashishth, Ph.D., is director of the Center for
Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute. He was named a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and
Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in recognition of his groundbreaking bone
research.
The Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization
of the nation’s leading public and private research universities dedicated to
sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research as
a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global
competitiveness.
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Founded in 1824 as the
first technological research university in the United States, Rensselaer
embodies “The New Polytechnic:” a new paradigm for teaching, learning, and
research—a view of the technological research university as a fresh
collaborative endeavor across disciplines, sectors, and global regions.
Rensselaer is a driving force behind breakthroughs in engineering and science
in virtually every arena—from transportation and infrastructure to business,
medicine, manufacturing, big data, computation, outer space, and cyberspace.
For more information, please visit www.rpi.edu.
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