Possibility of Open source NAD for muscle rejuvenation?

[RobbG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25445748

NAD has been found to have the capability of restoring 60 year old muscles to function as 20 year old muscles.  This is not only excellent news for muscles; but also for diseases such as type 2 diabetes which can be helped by having healthy muscle that can process glucose.

The problem is that the treatment currently cost $1,000 per gram which would mean it would cost about $46,000 a day for treatment.  

This sounds like an opensource bio challenge.  Can we find a more efficient way to produce NAD, make it available for anyone and avoid the huge pharma markup?

[Patrik D'haeseleer]

Actually, they're not using NAD, but NMN - nicotinamide mononucleotide. If I remember correctly, you can't administer NAD directly (or at least not at the levels they want) because of its hypoglycemic effect. Nicotinamide or niacin (Vitamin B3) should have a similar effect of raising internal NAD/NADH levels. and is much easier to find than NMN.

Of course, one drawback is that they are *injecting* massive amounts of NMN: half a gram per kg! Feel like injecting ~100g of an unproven-in-humans chemical into your body?

Patrik

[Mega [Andreas Stuermer]]

Ok, that may not be suited for diy bio at this stage, but I imagine if you are 70 years old and cannot walk any more due to some disease (quick aging) the risk would totally be worth.

[Cathal Garvey]

(And that's before you find a safe source of *injectable-grade* B3)

[Cathal Garvey]

The trouble with ageing is it's a self-accelerating process, so the
younger you intervene the longer you'll reap in extra healthy years.

Not that I wouldn't risk therapy at 70, but much better to have safe,
proven, effective treatments at 30.