UCSB’s Dr. Joel Rothman and Vistas Lifelong Learning 

Vistas Lifelong Learning organization held its annual Margerum Distinguished Speaker Program featuring Dr. Joel Rothman, at the Music Academy, Montecito, on Thursday, November 21. The event co-chairs were Leslie White and Jill Breedon. 

The program, entitled “Extending Healthy Lifespan: Promises and Societal Challenges of Longevity Science,” was sold out at standing room only. Rothman has been involved in longevity research for 32 years at three universities, UCSB, University of Wisconsin and University of Auckland.

The program commenced with a brief welcome and introduction of Rothman by Vistas’ President Robert Benham. He acknowledged supporters Mark and Linda Schwartz and Amy Margerum Berg. Berg provided the grant for this Distinguished Speaker Program in honor of her mother Barbara Margerum, a Vistas member.

Rothman thanked Vistas and Sue Wilcox who was in the audience, as Rothman is the Distinguished Professor and Wilcox Family Chair in Biotechnology at UCSB, and the inaugural Director of the Center for Aging and Longevity Studies. He introduced his grad students Juwel Chandra Baray and Samantha Fiallo,who were there to answer questions during intermission.

Rothman began by postulating that the science on aging is being done at such a rapid pace, he updates his lecture data points the same day he presents them. He stated that research is being conducted at the phase two level in humans preceded by successful studies in animals. For example, the drug rapamycin – which is studied for its use in antiaging – is in phase two clinical trials now. 

In his lab at UCSB, there are 37 research groups with over 300 researchers working on the goal of extending a healthy lifespan, which in turn ultimately extends lifespan. Areas of research include AI, drugs, sleep, exercise, food, fasting, dental health impact, alcohol, and other common areas related to excellence in health. Work is being done by Dr. Pradeep Joshi on dietary supplements and Dr. Thomas Weimbs on ketogenic supplemental powders via Santa Barbara Nutrients products. Rothman emphasized that any proven alteration that extends the health lifespan will remove all age-related diseases, not just target one of them.

Of keen importance to Rothman is the research in mice on genetic alterations that have proven to reverse the aging process. Yes, young Jedi, you may live to be 300 and have the health and body of a 30-year-old. Top studies are of methyl tag markers on DNA to study protein interactions with DNA in epigenomics; a handheld app on your phone to check your aging (not photoshop it); and ways to extend the length of the telomeres at the end of our chromosomes to extend cellular life and increase healthy lifespan. Research shows that, “Telomere length can be prevented from shortening by the enzyme Telomerase, which is a protein subunit (hTERT) and an RNA subunit (hTR). This enzyme is active in germline and stem cells and maintains their telomere length by adding ‘TTAGGG’ repeats to the ends of chromosomes. Longer telomeres should mean that cells can divide more often before entering senescence or dying, therefore increasing longevity.” (NIH/PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3370421)

His lab at UCSB just set up a bio-robotic research area to speed up elements of the research, making his longevity center one of the top 10 in the U.S.

In briefly interviewing Rothman during the intermission, he shared that he does intermittent fasting on a 16 hour fast/8 hour eating window daily, takes 1000 mg/day of taurine along with other supplements, does exercise, and partakes of other related antiaging methods. Further, he feels reaching age 150 is doable for all current youth.

Let’s hear it for science fact not fiction, running that marathon and ditching fillers and botox.  

411: https://longevity.ucsb.edu
www.vistaslifelonglearning.org