sex differences

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Richard Miller is a professor of pathology and the Director of the Center for Aging Research at the University of Michigan, as well as a previous guest on The Drive. In this episode, Rich provides an update on the exciting work of the Interventions Testing Program (ITP), an initiative designed to assess potential life-extending interventions in mice. Rich covers the notable successes like rapamycin, 17⍺-estradiol, and acarbose as well as notable failures like nicotinamide riboside, metformin, and resveratrol, providing valuable lessons about the intricacies of the aging process. Rich delves deep into aging biomarkers and aging rate indicators, unraveling crucial insights into the science of geroprotective molecules. Additionally, Rich discusses some surprising successes of recent molecules tested by the ITP and concludes with an optimistic look at future frontiers, including bridging the gap from mice to humans.

We discuss:

• An overview of the Interventions Testing Program (ITP) [3:45];
• How the mice used by the ITP are superior for research relative to mouse models used in most research [11:15];
• Design of ITP studies, outcomes tested, and metrics of interest [19:00];
• The process and challenges of drug formulation for mice [30:00];
• Four drugs identified by the ITP that extends the lifespan of mice [36:30];
• The success of rapamycin and what it tells us about the biology of aging [43:15];
• Other measures of healthspan evaluated by the ITP in stage 2 studies [50:45];
• Distinguishing aging rate indicators from biomarkers of aging [57:30];
• Aging rate indicators identified through the examination of slow-aging mice [59:15];
• Why proteomics are essential to understand changes in the cell [1:12:15];
• Unraveling aging rate indicators: dose-effect, duration, and future frontiers [1:21:45];
• A closer look at aging rate indicators: bridging the gap from mice to humans [1:27:00];
• What do laboratory mice die from? [1:38:45];
• Distinguishing between a drug that improves an age-sensitive outcome and a drug that improves all aspects of aging [1:42:00];
• The ITP study of 17⍺-estradiol: mechanisms of life extension and surprising sex differences [1:43:30];
• Unsuccessful drugs studied by the ITP: resveratrol, metformin, and nicotinamide riboside [1:51:30];
• Over-the-counter successes in the ITP: meclizine and astaxanthin [2:01:00];
• A senolytic drug, fisetin, fails to extend lifespan [2:07:00];
• Can targeting senescent cells slow aging? [2:13:00];
• Optimism about future findings [2:16:30]; and
• More.

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Today we welcome Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling. She is the Nancy Duke Lewis Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry at Brown University. Her books and scholarly articles are referenced widely in feminist and scientific inquiry. She has received grants and fellowships in both the sciences and the humanities. In 2020, she re-released Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality with updated research.

In this episode, I talked to Anne Fausto-Sterling about gender/sex and the body. During the sixties, the term “gender” was introduced to make a distinction between a person’s biology and psychology. But Dr. Fausto-Sterling believes that these can never really be separate. Biology influences gender—and the opposite is also true. Culture and context can influence our hormones and body systems. We also touch on the topics of gender dysphoria, feminism, intersexuality, trans issues, and child development.

Website: annefaustosterling.com

Twitter: @Fausto_Sterling

Topics

02:52 Dr. Fausto-Sterling’s background and expertise

07:58 Sexual invert, eonist, & transvestite

14:42 Gender identity disorder in the DSM

19:47 Transgenderism and non-binaries

21:49 The Five Sexes

25:27 “Gender is always changing the biology”

30:08 Redefining sex 

34:54 Intersex inclusivity

40:29 Feminists labeled as TERFs

43:39 Sex should be functional

45:45 Moral panic about bathrooms, sports, jail

50:00 Addressing issues in context

55:50 Dynamic Systems Framework for Gender/Sex Development

57:54 Dr. Fausto-Sterling’s call to end sex differences research

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