Reversing the Aging Process

Recently, scientists from Harvard and the University of New South Wales claimed to have discovered how to reverse the process of aging. Their study was originally focused on mice, but early clinical trials are beginning to be conducted on humans. This shows that the reversal of aging will become a reality someday. 

The scientists of the study found a way to switch on "youthful genes" and switch off "older genes" by using various types of proteins and molecules. David Sinclair, professor at Harvard and UNSW, was the lead of the research team. "We've discovered genes that control how the body fights aging and these genes, if you turn them on just the right way, they can have very powerful effects, even reversing aging- at least in mice so far," Sinclair said. 

The mice were fed a "molecule that's called NMN and this reversed aging completely within just a week of treatment in the muscle, and now we're looking to reverse all aspects of aging if possible." This breakthrough could be used to make various types of drugs that could potentially restore the youthfulness of human cells. "We've gone from mice into early human studies actually. There have been some clinical trials around the world, and we're hoping in the next few years to know if this will actually work in people as well," said Sinclair. The clinical trials are apparently small studies, but the results seem promising. 

"They show that the molecules that extend lifespan in mice are safe in people; they seem to be anti-inflammatory, so they might be useful against disease;s inflammation, like skin redness or even inflammatory bowel disease," he said. The main focus of this study, however, is to prevent people from getting various diseases caused by aging, thus allowing them to live longer and more healthier lives. 

Professor Sinclair is hopeful that one day this type of medicine could be as important and held in the same light as antibiotics. "Some people say it's like playing God, but if you ask somebody 100 years ago, what about antibiotics? They probably would have said the same thing," said Sinclair. "Some people worry about big advances in technology and medicine, but once it's adapted and it's natural for people to live until they're 90 in a healthy way... we'll look back at today like we do at the times before antibiotics when people died from an infected splinter."

As someone who has lost a family member to an age-related disease, I am very happy that this kind of breakthrough is right around the corner of the medical world. It was painful to see a family member deteriorate simply because they were older. If something like this were to be a reality, and people were able to live longer lives, especially with greater health, that would be a great thing.  


Article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-04/scientists-reverse-ageing-process-in-mice/5865714 

Related Article: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/19508/20141105/scientists-find-genetic-switch-to-reverse-aging-in-mice-hello-fountain-of-youth.htm