Science & Technology

Have scientists found a cure for ageing ?

By T.K. Randall
December 22, 2013 ·  42 comments

Is it really possible to turn back time ? Image Credit: sxc.hu The breakthrough is based on the communication between the mitochondrion and the nucleus inside individual cells. In youth this communication occurs quickly and frequently, but as the cells age the process starts to slow down.

In an effort to reverse the process, researchers injected mice with a compound called NMN which repairs the network of communication within the cells. The results were extremely promising, with a mouse equivalent to a 60-year-old human exhibiting the equivalent biological age of a 20-year-old. The younger the subject when the treatment was administered, the more effective it seemed to be. Older mice benefited too, but not as much."It may be in the future that your age in years isn't going to matter as much as your biological age," said molecular biologist David Sinclair. "What we've shown here is that you can turn back your biological age, or at least we think we have found a way to do that."

Human trials are set to begin next year.

Source: Stuff.co.nz | Comments (42)

Tags: Ageing