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4. It is this perturbation in the levels of hormones X and/or Y lar to that of steroid hormones and retinoids (such as vitamin A). that triggers cell senescence and eventual death, causing tissues to This means that they probably penetrate the cell membrane and stop turning over and precipitating the physical declines associat- are then translocated to the nucleus where they either promote or ed with ageing. Since one of these hormones is involved in main- inhibit the expression of genes which regulate the cell growth taining cells in a differentiated state, this could provide the long- cycle. This is a much more sophisticated approach and stands in awaited answer as to why cancer prevalence in general increases total contradistinction to the mode of action of virtually all exist- as we age, and also why sexual differentiation and other tissue ing anti-cancer drugs which are really little more than cellular poi- differentiation declines in the same interval. sons designed to kill off all rapidly dividing cells. Such a shotgun 5. Seemingly intractable problems approach is responsible for the some- can only be solved by reinterpreting times horrendous side effects associat- the problems in novel ways. Cancer ed with conventional chemotherapy. cells can be thought of as normal cells The compounds that I have devel- which have reverted to a de-differen- oped have obvious application in the tiated state—i.e. they resemble rapid- .- ageing and death are not the non-toxic therapy of cancer and other ly dividing, undifferentiated embry- inevitable fates that they are neoplastic diseases. They also threat- onic cells rather than the mature, en to give medical science completely slowly dividing, properly behaving made out to be, but are instead new insights into the interaction of normal cells of the tissues from which the results of a program which the ageing process with various dis- they derive. It is also known to ease states. If the melatonin—hor- researchers that cancer cells are effec- can be altered. mone X-hormone Y axis is indeed tively immortal; if given a proper responsible for regulating what cells environment, they can live and repro- do at particular stages in their life duce indefinitely, just as can bacteria cycle, then we can explain why, for and certain types of plant and fungal instance, certain cancers tend to occur cells. This finding alone indicates that at particular points in people's lives. ageing and death are not the inevitable fates that they are made As we age, perturbations in the levels of hormones X and Y out to be, but are instead the results of a program which can be occur. The hypothesis would predict the incidence of cancer to altered. Although little has been made of this by conventional vary over the span of a person's life as well. Indeed, that is pre- researchers, it strongly suggests that cancer is not a disease state, cisely what we observe clinically. As we age, the incidence of but a developmental problem, just as is ageing. Cancer cells are various cancers increases. This may be due to the fact that the not behaving badly, they are just behaving in a manner inappro- levels of hormones X and/or Y are no longer sufficient to main- priate for their age. It is, in other words, a problem with the bio- tain certain cells in a differentiated state, or that the immune sys- logical clock. Since melatonin is one of the substances that mod- tem, whose own cells depend on specific amounts of X and Y, can ulates the biological clock, this would no longer perform their function of explain melatonin's anti-cancer eliminating cancer cells properly. effects and also suggested to me that Finally, although it is too early to be hormones X and Y might have similar talking seriously about a fountain of effects. youth, I believe that hormones X and 6. Since the chemical structures of H 4 Y represent the first steps toward both hormones X and Y are attainable This leads me to question unravelling the mystery of why certain by traditional means of organic syn- whether ancient legends of organisms and tissues age. Unlike thesis, their manufacture is relatively fantastic life span for humans melatonin, the compounds that I have straightforward. As is also the case synthesised represent the first with many other currently acknowl- may not have a basis in reality. patentable drugs that actually have the edged hormones such as the oestro- potential of reversing or at least slow- gens and progestins, it is possible to ing the much-dreaded biological synthesise relatively low molecular clock. They are the first non- weight analogues of hormones X and steroidal, non-proteinaceous, non- Y which retain the parent molecule's retinoid hormonally active substances biological activity. I have prepared sev- other than melatonin and thyroid hor- eral analogues of this type. These compounds show the same mone known to affect cell growth and differentiation in higher cellgrowth altering abilities of the parent molecules although the animals. resources available to me did not facilitate the kind of evaluation Furthermore, I have discovered that analogues of both hor- necessary to reach detailed conclusions of the precise actions of | mones X and Y exist in nature and can be prepared, for example, these compounds. from certain plants. These substances can be incorporated into 7. [have developed other compounds whose chemical structure over-the-counter products such as cosmetics and vitamin prepara- is quite different from that of either hormones X or Y that seem to tions without the difficulty of surmounting regulatory hurdles. have similar effects on cancer cells. The impact, for instance, of a wrinkle cream which actually thick- 8. The exact mechanism of action of these compounds must at ens the skin and returns cell turnover rates to levels found in a this point remain an object of speculation, since I did not possess twenty-year-old should be obvious, especially since today's cos- the funds or the facilities to properly investigate this issue. Based metic preparations are mainly designed to cover up the effects of on the chemical structure of the compounds, however, it is reason- ageing. able to assume that, on a cellular level, they act in a manner simi- ..ageing and death are not the inevitable fates that they are made out to be, but are instead the results of a program which can be altered. This leads me to question whether ancient legends of fantastic life span for humans may not have a basis in reality. 28 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com