Epithalon: from Soviet Cow Brains to longer Telomeres Test

[dunhacunha]

Hey everyone, fellow self-experimenters and lifespan enthusiasts,

I'm thinking about getting on the Epithalon bandwagon, but before I start injecting myself for the sake of living forever, I've got a down-to-earth question: What's the real name of a dependable assay to check whether our telomeres are actually lengthening (that's what she said), and where can an ordinary person get one?

I'm after numbers. Actual numbers. Not just "my sleep improved and my knees pop less" kind of numbers. I want to watch those chromosome end-caps grow! Are we talking STELA, Q-FISH, TRF, or does some direct-to-consumer test exist that isn't pure statistical garbage?

 

[Chili777]

A fast lookup turned up the following:

Telomere length can be assessed through several different tests, and among the options used in clinical practice, flow-FISH is regarded as one of the more dependable. By measuring telomeres in blood samples, it can assist in evaluating risk for certain conditions tied to short telomeres.

For a basic length measurement, flow-FISH usually runs somewhere between $100 and $200, though what you pay depends on which testing services are included. Broader genetic analyses can reach as high as $298.

My suggestion: phone the labs in your area.

 

[dunhacunha]

Chili777 said:

A fast lookup turned up the following:

Telomere length can be assessed through several different tests, and among the options used in clinical practice, flow-FISH is regarded as one of the more dependable. By measuring telomeres in blood samples, it can assist in evaluating risk for certain conditions tied to short telomeres.

For a basic length measurement, flow-FISH usually runs somewhere between $100 and $200, though what you pay depends on which testing services are included. Broader genetic analyses can reach as high as $298.

My suggestion: phone the labs in your area.

Flow-FISH does sound like that serious, clinical-grade method I had in mind. That said, given how the medical world tends to operate, my guess is that convincing an actual lab to perform Flow-FISH without a physician involved would run me more than the usual $100 qPCR mail-in saliva kit.

I'll follow your suggestion and start phoning local diagnostic labs to hear their take and find out whether they'd allow someone like me to place the order.

Have you personally gone through an Epithalon cycle? And if yes, were you able to get your own telomeres measured before and after the cycle through Flow-FISH (or some other assay)?

Appreciate the guidance!

 

[Chili777]

dunhacunha said:

Chili777 said:

A fast lookup turned up the following:

Telomere length can be assessed through several different tests, and among the options used in clinical practice, flow-FISH is regarded as one of the more dependable. By measuring telomeres in blood samples, it can assist in evaluating risk for certain conditions tied to short telomeres.

For a basic length measurement, flow-FISH usually runs somewhere between $100 and $200, though what you pay depends on which testing services are included. Broader genetic analyses can reach as high as $298.

My suggestion: phone the labs in your area.

Flow-FISH does sound like that serious, clinical-grade method I had in mind. That said, given how the medical world tends to operate, my guess is that convincing an actual lab to perform Flow-FISH without a physician involved would run me more than the usual $100 qPCR mail-in saliva kit.

I'll follow your suggestion and start phoning local diagnostic labs to hear their take and find out whether they'd allow someone like me to place the order.

Have you personally gone through an Epithalon cycle? And if yes, were you able to get your own telomeres measured before and after the cycle through Flow-FISH (or some other assay)?

Appreciate the guidance!

Multiple cycles have been done by me, and plenty of other members here have done the same. A quick search will turn up lots of threads containing those details. Testing hasn't been done on my end, since I see any possible telomere gain as secondary to the main advantages. Right here, there's a wealth of information.