The World in 2030

The World in 2030 39
It’s not quite the elixir of life, but researchers may have
found a way of keeping us younger for longer. In mice
at least, increasing the production of two proteins
called p53 and Arf enabled more of the animals to survive
to old age while showing fewer signs of ageing.
Since its discovery in 1979, p53 has been a key therapeutic
target for cancer research. When activated, it
encourages damaged cancer cells to commit suicide
– a process called apoptosis. 70
News of new gene identification now seems to increase daily.
Key genes for fighting HIV-Aids 71 have been identified as
has a gene that causes a particularly severe form of catatonic
schizophrenia. 72 Researchers led by University of Cincinnati
scientists have located a narrow region of genes that can
sharply increase a person’s risk of developing lung cancer 73
– one of the world’s worst killers – and researchers in
Montreal recently discovered a gene that seems to inhibit
memory retention 74 (which, one day, may lead to a treatment
for Alzheimer’s disease).
Other disease-related genes identified include those for
motor neuron disease, Type 2 diabetes, a gene that appears
to inhibit breast cancer, one that causes stomach cancer, a
gene that causes deafness and many more. We are starting to
understand the buildings blocks of human biology.
Over the next few years the ‘master map’ of the human
gene pool will be completed to a large extent and, as
computer power rapidly increases, it will become possible
to sequence the genomic map of each individual patient