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Paradoxes of aging

Mikhail V Blagosklonny1

  • 1Cancer Center, Ordway Research Institute, 150 New Scotland Ave., Albany, New York 12208, USA. blagosklonny@oncotarget

Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)
|December 25, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Aging is a programmed process driven by TOR, not random damage. This TOR-driven aging concept resolves key paradoxes, explaining lifespan, calorie restriction benefits, and aging

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The prevailing theory attributes aging to random molecular damage.
  • This perspective presents several paradoxes that challenge current understanding.
  • Notable scientists like Kirkwood have highlighted these paradoxes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a new framework for understanding aging.
  • To demonstrate how a TOR-driven, program-like aging concept resolves existing paradoxes.
  • To explain the mechanisms behind lifespan regulation and age-related health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of existing aging research and data.
  • Conceptual integration of the TOR pathway's role in aging.
  • Re-evaluation of established findings in light of the proposed model.

Main Results:

  • The TOR-driven aging model resolves eleven major paradoxes of aging.
  • It explains why molecular damage accumulation doesn't limit lifespan.
  • It clarifies the effects of calorie restriction and protein synthesis inhibition on longevity.

Conclusions:

  • Aging is best understood as a program-like process driven by the TOR pathway.
  • This model provides a unified explanation for diverse aging phenomena.
  • It reframes our approach to understanding and potentially treating aging.

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