Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

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Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by BrianR »

No real news, but clearly explained:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/heal ... imers.html

APOE4 germane section:
In March, Dr. Dubal and her colleagues published a study suggesting that Klotho may also provide some protection from Alzheimer’s disease to people as well.

One of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease is a genetic variant called APOE e4. Inheriting two copies of the gene can increase the risk more than eightfold.

Dr. Dubal and her colleagues found that many people with APOE e4 appeared to be on their way to Alzheimer’s disease even if they had no sign of dementia yet. They had markers indicating a buildup of clumps in their brains.

Then Dr. Dubal and her colleagues looked at the people with both APOE e4 and extra Klotho. They had no extra clumps.

It’s possible that in these people Klotho is slowing the effects of carrying APOE e4, Dr. Dubal speculated. “Maybe their brains are biologically younger,” she said.

A few other research groups have also found promising results in people, but all of the studies — Dr. Dubal’s included — are small.
but
Dr. King doesn’t dispute the remarkable results of the Klotho experiments. It’s just that researchers can’t account for them.

When Dr. Dubal injects Klotho into mice, for example, the hormone doesn’t actually get into the brain. It must trigger some series of reactions in the body — but no one can say what they are.
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by Julie G »

Sign me up! A simple shot in the belly to avoid AD... and be smarter. :D YES, please
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by Creekside »

Julie G wrote:Sign me up! A simple shot in the belly to avoid AD... and be smarter. :D YES, please
Me, too!

(Hmmm...I wonder if it is possible to check Klotho status using 23andme data?)
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Re: RE: Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by Stavia »

Creekside wrote:
Julie G wrote:Sign me up! A simple shot in the belly to avoid AD... and be smarter. :D YES, please
Me, too!

(Hmmm...I wonder if it is possible to check Klotho status using 23andme data?)
Yes there is. Have a look on snpedia for the rs number. Or search our forum - a few years ago some of us were brave enough to look at our Klotho status.

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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by ru442 »

It's rs9536314... and I don't have it ;)
Male 4/4 56 yrs., "Live, Laugh, Love"
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by Creekside »

ru442 wrote:It's rs9536314... and I don't have it ;)
Me neither. :x
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by NF52 »

Creekside wrote:
ru442 wrote:It's rs9536314... and I don't have it ;)
Me neither. :x
Me neither, but my husband does and his dad lived to 90, which was 42 years more than the 2 months to live his doctors gave him after surgery and a diagnosis of "terminal" colon and liver cancer at age 48. He also survived prostate cancer and quadruple bypass in his 80's. I used to say that they ought to figure out what was in his dad's DNA--now it looks like they have!
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by Matisse »

I have it and my parents lived to 73 and 49, both dying from cancer.
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by NF52 »

Good news for an estimated 20% of the population, from a study released on JAMA Neurology on April 13, 2020. Association of Klotho-VS Heterozygosity With Risk of Alzheimer Disease in Individuals Who Carry APOE4

Twenty-five studies of almost 22,000 women and men, ages 60 and older, non-Hispanic and of Northwestern European ancestry, were analyzed to assess whether the Klotho allele rs9536314 G/T, termed "Klotho-VS heterozygous" is associated with reduced risk of AD in ApoE 4 carriers. [For reference, rs9536314 T/T is the most common, i.e. "wild type" variant] https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs9536314
Conclusions and RelevanceThe genotype KL-VSHET+ is associated with reduced AD risk and Aβ burden in individuals who are aged 60 to 80 years, cognitively normal, and carrying APOE4. Molecular pathways associated with KL merit exploration for novel AD drug targets. The KL-VS genotype should be considered in conjunction with the APOE genotype to refine AD prediction models used in clinical trial enrichment and personalized genetic counseling.
Since the studies included people with both MCI and AD, here is the analysis specific to participants who were cognitively normal at baseline, i.e. "controls". A "hazard ratio" of 0.64 would indicate a predicted risk of converting from normal cognition to MCI or from MCI to AD of 36% less for carriers of ApoE 4 with the G/T variant, compared to those without it. Per the article, groups with the KL-VS variant are also less likely to show elevated levels of amyloid in the brain.
control participants carrying APOE4 with KL-VS heterozygosity were at reduced risk of converting to MCI or AD (hazard ratio, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.44-0.94]; P = .02)
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Re: Carl Zimmer on Klotho: "One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?"

Post by Fiver »

Geez. Another decision. :?
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