MAR 12-14: NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST RETURNS TO ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER (FEATURED EVENT)

by Don Rose (Editor in Chief) and Bruce Braunstein (Health Editor)

Hard to believe, but the Natural Products Expo West (also known simply as Expo West) is turning 30 in 2010. (They don't look a day over 20 -- guess it must be all the natural foods, vitamins and other healthy items they have every year!) Were you one of the first attendees in 1981? Planning on being a first-time attendee in 2010? Either way, you will love this show, one of The LA Report's Top Ten expos each year. We think that there’s no better time than NOW to join in the festivities. Celebrate the beauty of the natural products industry in Anaheim this weekend, from March 12 to 14. The exhibits location is once again the Anaheim Convention Center, with related events at the adjacent Hilton and Marriott hotels.

Attended by more than 53,000 industry professionals from across the globe, Natural Products Expo West is the premier trade show for the healthy products industry. Co-located with SupplyExpo, the Nutracon conference, the Healthy Baking Seminar and the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace, these combined events showcase the entire value chain of healthy products from start to finish, identifying the bestsellers of today and the trends of tomorrow. Natural Products Expo West is ranked as one of the top 100 shows in the US and one of the fastest 50 growing tradeshows in the US and Canada.

FAST FACTS: Natural Products Expo West

Location --

Anaheim Convention Center

800 W. Katella Ave

Anaheim, CA 92802 USA

Dates --

Education and Events,

March 11-14, 2010

Trade Show,

March 12-14, 2010

Show Floor Hours --

Fri/Sat: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sunday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

140tc - LA Twitter Conference; Watch Live Feed Here, Now

Streaming live video by Ustream

SEP 22-23: 140 | The Twitter Conference (140tc) - Featured Event of the Week

Posted by Don Rose

It's finally here - the highest profile Twitter conference to hit LA. Nicknamed 140tc, "140 - The Twitter Conference (Tapping Into the Real Time Web)" takes place at the Skirball Cultural Center on September 22 and 23, 2009. Be there or be obsolete. 140 is the place where developers, business people, and enthusiasts converge to find innovative ways to use and benefit from Twitter, arguably the fastest growing Web phenomenon that exists today.

The two-day two-track conference focuses on professional uses of Twitter and is hosted by The Parnassus Group, which has done a stellar job attracting star speakers to the event. The A-list lineup includes Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Tony Robbins, Dr. Drew Pinsky, actor/singer Tyrese and X Games superstar Tony Hawk as well as legendary lawyer Mark Geragos, Levar Burton, Guy Kawasaki and many more. To see who else is speaking at the event check out the 140tc speakers page.

But wait, there's more! As if all the celebs, keynotes and cool panels weren't enough, the hot LA band Hypnogaja (@hypnogaja) will be performing during the conference reception at the close of the first day, September 22. The party is open to conference attendees only, so there’s one more reason to register. Now that you're suitably wowed, proceed ASAP to buy a ticket. Register here!

SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE DETAILS

The conference is scheduled for September 22nd-23rd, 2009.
Location: Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA:


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Registration opens at 7:30am each day, and sessions start at 9 am.
Sessions conclude at 5:30pm both days.
Lunch is scheduled between 12:30 and 2:00 each day.
The conference hashtag is #140tc.
Beverage breaks, breakfast, and lunch are included in the cost of your ticket.

After the last sessions on day one (Sep 22nd)
there will be an open bar cocktail reception
in the Taper Courtyard, just outside the Magnin auditorium.

HOTELS

140tc arranged with Hotel Angeleno
for a discounted conference group rate
of $129.00 per night, which includes parking.

Hotel Angeleno
http://www.hotelangeleno.com/
4.0 miles from Skirball Cultural Center
170 N. Church Lane
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310.476.6411

Additional hotels near the venue (no conference rate):

Luxe Hotel
http://tinyurl.com/ldtezb
4.0 miles from Skirball Cultural Center
160 guestrooms
11461 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA90049
(866) LUXE-411

Marriott Courtyard
http://tinyurl.com/njmbbk
2.7 miles from Skirball Cultural Center
196 guestrooms
15433 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oakes, CA 91403
818-981-5400

OFFICIAL 140tc WEBSITE:
http://parnassusgroup.com/twitterconference

If you have additional questions
contact Kim: kim@parnassusgroup.com.

"UNDERSTANDING AGING" CONFERENCE BRINGS RESEARCHERS AND POLICYMAKERS TO UCLA TO DISCUSS STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING HUMAN LIFESPAN & DELAYING "OLD AGE"

Event Report by Don Rose

From June 27 to 29, 2008, researchers, policymakers and experts in the area of extending lifespan gathered to participate in the scientific conference "Understanding Aging: Biomedical and Bioengineering Approaches," held at UCLA. The conference included a free symposium for the general public on June 27th focused on public policy implications of successfully postponing aging. The scientific conference, on June 28th and 29th, focused on the science and technology of aging and its postponement.

Many illustrious speakers presented stimulating talks, spotlighting state of the art research into how science is attacking the process of aging as if it is a disease itself. This seemed to be the main overarching point of the conference. Imagine if the "natural process of aging" is in fact not something we have to accept as inevitable, but rather a disease, distinct from diseases like cancer that are associated with advancing age. A model of aging as a disease with causative conditions would mean there are potential treatments or even cures. In other words, if growing old, on a cellular level, is a disease, then it may eventually be mitigated or eliminated with proper treatment or prevention strategies.

This exciting proposition seemed to be the undercurrent of the entire conference, as the talks presented at the conference showed over and over again how researchers are isolating the various mechanisms that cause cells to die or develop problems, and what is being done to correct such problems. The promise is that if enough of these cellular self-destruction mechanisms can be identified and treated, the higher-level phenomenon we call aging may be delayed or eventually eliminated. The possibilities, of course, are mind-boggling. Luckily, the conference also included many lively break periods during which we could compare notes with fellow attendees and process all the information being presented. Each day of the scientific portion of the conference also included a reception period that featured excellent posters, presenting even more research that complemented and expanded on material covered in the main talks.

The organizers of the Aging 2008 conference were Aubrey de Grey (photo), Irina Conboy and Amy Wagers. Dr. de Grey was the driving force behind the weekend gathering, keeping the proceedings on schedule and generously providing each attendee with a free copy of his ambitious, thought-provoking book, "Ending Aging." His work has faced some controversy during the past few years, but it struck me as extremely exciting and has the potential to not only save or extend the lives of millions of people in the coming decades, but also save governments billions by postponing the ravages of aging. After all, it is illness that costs money to treat, not the number of years one has been alive on Earth. If age-related illness can be postponed years into the future, or if the period of illness can be compressed into a short period at the very end of life, the potential benefits could be enormous.

Many themes and ideas came across during the three stimulating days of the conference. Here are just a few that came up again and again:

Cancer and Life Extension: two sides of the coin of life. In life extension, one goal is to find out why cells seemed programmed to die (after a few dozen divisions, cells reach the "Hayflick limit" and can no longer divide), and find ways to alter our programming so that cells can divide for longer periods of time, or even forever. However, cancer cells already exhibit this property. Hence, solving one problem (programmed cell death) may cause another (unchecked cancerous growth). Yet this also presents a great opportunity; since they are so interrelated, solving one of these broad challenges may lead to a solution to the other.

The Immune System and Cancer: one researcher showed White Blood Cells attacking and killing cancer cells, and showed evidence of how seasonal changes and climate affects the ability of our immune systems to combat cancer (greater incidence of cancer in winter months as you move away from the equator). The implication: healthy immune systems should in theory be able to stave off cancer as it does colds and flu. One may then wonder if perhaps a cancer vaccine is in our future.

Telomeres and Telomerase: one of the reasons researchers think cells stop dividing is because the ends of our chromosomes ("extra" DNA material known as telomeres) grow shorter with each division, like a cigarette shortening as it burns. Finding ways to keep telomeres long may solve this problem, and the enzyme telomerase does just that. Hence, telomerase therapy may be one piece of the aging-solution puzzle.

Learn From Immortals: one poster discussed fish that do not seem to age. Why does this occur? If we can identify the mechanisms at work in such fish, and other creatures that exhibit little or no aging, we may be able to replicate this desirable trait in us.

Calorie Restriction: also known as CR, this strategy has been shown to dramatically increase lifespan in rats, and CR does have many followers of the human variety. However, as one attendee said to me, CR may not be the best strategy to follow. After all, would you want to live forever in a state of perpetual hunger and irritability? Let alone possible health detriments that may outweigh the long-life benefits.

Use Evolution: the process of natural selection may be a blind watchmaker, but it is also very wise. Presumably, aging mechanisms evolved for a reason (for example, shortened telomeres that cause cell death also help prevent cancerous growths). Using the logic of evolution may help researchers decide where to look for the mechanisms that cause aging -- and to develop methods to counteract them.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what was covered, and I left the conference fully stimulated and excited, eager to learn more, and to apply what was learned to my own life (where possible). I recommend this conference highly, although the first day was best for those folks (including yours truly) whose scientific knowledge of gerontology, biology and chemistry is not at the intermediate-to-expert level. Certainly I would have gotten even more out of the conference had my knowledge been greater, but in the age of the Internet, that can always be improved, and I am excited to embark on that journey. The LA Report encourages you to do so as well. After all, who doesn't want to Live Long and Prosper?

Overall, the Aging 2008 conference was a big success. Dr. de Grey and all the volunteers deserve kudos for their hard work, as well as their helpfulness and enthusiasm. One of the volunteers said that video of various portions of this year's conference will eventually be put online, so those of you who could not be there personally can soon be there virtually.

If you would like to learn more about the ending aging movement, life extension and related topics, here are some websites to explore:

www.mfoundation.org - Homepage of the Methuselah Foundation.
MFoundation-The SENS Platform - This “engineering” approach forms the broad basis for Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), a detailed plan for curing human aging.
The Mprize-Welcome to the Methuselah Mouse Prize!
Aging 2008 and Aubrey de Grey at Wired
Unofficial Video From Aging 2008
www.lef.org - A related organization, the Life Extension Foundation.