Alex Plesa | A Path to Solving Aging
A Path to Solving Aging
Abstract: Evolution has solved biological damage by replacement, at every scale. From proteins and organelles being recycled within cells, to bacteria sacrificing a daughter cell and damaged cells being cleared and replaced, all the way to the entire organism being deprioritized in favor of the germline. Repair is almost entirely reserved for DNA, the one molecule without a backup copy. In this talk, I argue that aging accumulates in biological layers that can’t be replaced and propose cellular/tissue replacement as a better bet than epigenetic reprogramming. Lastly, I address the limit case for replacement, the brain, and explore a potential direction for it.
Speaker Bio: Alex Plesa is a scientist working on solving aging at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. He completed his PhD in George Church’s lab, where he developed a cell rejuvenation discovery platform using biological clocks and high-throughput transcriptomic reprogramming screens. Alex discovered a new gene therapy for reversing the age of human cells and extending mouse lifespan. He also revealed genome architecture as a potential driver of human blood stem cell aging, and is now exploring cell replacement approaches for age reversal. Google scholar / Substack
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Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87184473255