Protecting the Genome

Aging and cancer are both driven by the gradual accumulation of DNA damage, yet nature has already evolved remarkable solutions. Greenland sharks live over 500 years, bowhead whales surpass 200, and human supercentenarians carry protective gene variants that keep their genomes intact for longer. At the same time, bacteria have spent millions of years perfecting ways to infiltrate and manipulate cells, strategies we can now re-engineer for human benefit. By learning from these long-lived species and harnessing synthetically engineered microbes, we are beginning to imagine therapies that could not only cure cancer but also extend healthy human lifespan. www.matter.bio