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SENS Research Foundation

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SENS Foundation
FoundedMarch 2009
FounderAubrey de Grey, Jeff Hall, Michael Kope, Sarah Marr, Kevin Perrott
FocusRejuvenation
Location
Area served
Global
MethodSENS
Key people
Aubrey de Grey, Kevin Dewalt, Jeff Hall, Michael Kope, Barbara J. Logan, Sarah Marr, Kevin Perrott
Websitewww.sens.org

The SENS Foundation (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization co-founded by Michael Kope, Aubrey de Grey, Jeff Hall, Sarah Marr and Kevin Perrott, which is based in Mountain View, California, United States. Its activities include SENS-based research programs and public relations work for the acceptance of and interest in scientific rejuvenation research. Before the Foundation was launched in March 2009, the SENS research program was mainly pursued by the Methuselah Foundation, co-founded by Aubrey de Grey and David Gobel.

Goals

The foundation's stated goal is "to research, develop and promote comprehensive regenerative medicine solutions for the diseases of aging". It defines 'regenerative medicine' as "the repair of living cells and extracellular material in situ – to the diseases and disabilities of aging." It aims to achieve this by accelerating the various research programs that go together to make the SENS project, by sponsoring university research, and prioritizing those aspects of SENS that are not adequately funded by other means. In addition to work undertaken in-house at the Research Center in Mountain View, SENSF has also partaken in and\or selectively funded extramural research at various other institutions, including but not limited to Yale University, Harvard University, Cambridge University, University of Texas, Rice University and University of Arizona.[1]

Research

Main article: Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence

SENS Foundation subdivide their efforts into seven research strands which correspond to seven categories of cellular damage which accumulate with age: accumulated side effects of metabolism which are eventually fatal. [2]

Seven types of aging damage and SENS research strands:
  1. Cell loss and cell atrophy — Stem cells and tissue engineering ("RepleniSENS")[3]
  2. Nuclear [epi]mutations — WILT, short for "Whole-body Interdiction of Lengthening of Telomeres" ("OncoSENS")[4]
  3. Mitochondrial mutations — Allotopic expression of 13 proteins ("MitoSENS")[5]
  4. Death-resistant cells — Targeted removal ("ApoptoSENS")[6]
  5. Extracellular crosslinks — AGE-breaking molecules and tissue engineering ("GlycoSENS")[7]
  6. Extracellular aggregates — Stimulating of the immune system to clear out the aggregates ("AmyloSENS")[8]
  7. Intracellular aggregates — Equipping the lysosome with enzymes capable of degrading the aggregates ("LysoSENS")[9]

By the end of 2012, SENS Foundation is scheduled to have at least one project underway in each of its seven research themes.[10]

Staff

The founders of the SENS Foundation:[11]

  • Michael Kope, Co-Founder : Chief Executive Officer
  • Aubrey de Grey, Co-Founder : Chief Science Officer
  • Jeff Hall, Co-Founder : VP Research Operations
  • Kevin Perrott, Co-Founder : Board Member

Board of Directors:[12]

  • Barbara J. Logan : Chair
  • Kevin Dewalt : Board Member
  • Bill Liao : Board Member
  • Kevin Perrott, Co-Founder : Board Member

Other key staff members:

  • Tanya Jones: Research Operations Manager (Research Center[13])
  • Michael Rae: Science Writer (Research Center[14])
  • Maria Entraigues: Global Outreach Coordinator

Donors and volunteers

On September 16, 2006, Peter Thiel, co-founder and former CEO of the online payments system PayPal, announced that he is pledging $3.5 million to the Methuselah Foundation "to support scientific research into the alleviation and eventual reversal of the debilities caused by aging" (SENS research).[15] Justin Bonomo, professional poker player, has pledged 5% of his tournament winnings for SENS research.[16] Sam Harris, a prominent nonfiction writer and scientific skeptic, is a Methuselah Mouse Prize 300 member.[17]

References

  1. ^ "2011 Research report" (PDF). September 18, 2006.
  2. ^ de Grey, Aubrey (September 2007). Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs that Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. p. 416. ISBN 0-312-36706-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "RepleniSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  4. ^ "OncoSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  5. ^ "MitoSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  6. ^ "ApoptoSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  7. ^ "GlycoSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  8. ^ "AmyloSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  9. ^ "LysoSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  10. ^ "AmyloSENS". SENS Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  11. ^ http://www.sens.org/sens-foundation/founders
  12. ^ http://www.sens.org/sens-foundation/board
  13. ^ http://www.sens.org/rc
  14. ^ http://www.sens.org/rc
  15. ^ Davidson, Keay (September 18, 2006). "BAY AREA — Entrepreneur backs research on anti-aging — Scientist says humans could live indefinitely". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  16. ^ "Please Welcome the Newest Members of The Three Hundred". Methuselah Foundation Blog. Methuselah Foundation. January 18, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  17. ^ "Sam Harris is a 300 member?". Methuselah Foundation forums. Methuselah Foundation. March 11, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
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