US researchers claim they’ve identified a mix of chemicals that can potentially be put into a pill to reverse ageing and age-related diseases.
The study, conducted by scientists at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), describes the first ever chemical approach to reprogram cells to a younger state.
Age reversal of this kind has until now, only been achievable through a powerful gene therapy.
A chemical alternative to age reversal via gene therapy could revolutionize the treatment of ageing, injuries and age-related diseases in terms of lower costs and shorter development timelines.
The findings, published in the journal Aging-US, build on a previous discovery (which won Shinya Yamanaka and John Gurdon the Nobel Prize in 2012) that the expression of specific genes could allow mature cells to be converted to stem cells.
Yamanaka’s and Gurdon’s discovery raised the question of whether it might be possible to reverse cellular ageing without causing cells to become too young and turn cancerous.
In the Harvard-MIT study, the researchers screened for molecules that could reverse cellular ageing and rejuvenate human cells.
They developed high-throughput cell-based assays to distinguish young cells from old and senescent cells, including transcription-based ageing clocks and a real-time nucleocytoplasmic protein compartmentalisation (NCC) assay.
The scientists identified six chemical cocktails that restore NCC and genome-wide transcript profiles to youthful states and reverse transcriptomic age in less than a week.
“Until recently, the best we could do was slow ageing. New discoveries suggest we can now reverse it,” said lead scientist David A. Sinclair, Professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard.
The Harvard researchers previously demonstrated that cellular ageing can be reversed without uncontrolled cell growth by virally-introducing specific Yamanaka genes into cells.
Mind you, not everyone is excited about these findings. Dr Charles Brenner, who was on the team that discovered Nicotinamide riboside (NR) as a NAD precursor vitamin, implies that it’s mostly hype.
Brenner notes that the paper was submitted on 30th June, 2023 and it was accepted within four days on July 4 by a journal of which Sinclair is coeditor-in-chief.
JP, @mkaeberlein, @schumacherbj, @StevenAustad @DPromislow myself & many others are trying to be the clarifiers vs the obfuscators that are conflating age tests w rejuvenation & cell assays w in vivo experiments
hype degrades scientific credibility
hype hurts
thank you JP https://t.co/ZS3mhpBPDk
— Charles Brenner, PhD (@CharlesMBrenner) July 16, 2023
Studies on the optic nerve, brain tissue, kidney, and muscle have shown promising results, with improved vision and extended lifespan observed in mice and as well as improved vision in monkeys.
The implications are far-reaching with regards to regenerative medicine and potentially, whole-body rejuvenation.
Following the positive results in reversing blindness in monkeys in April 2023, preparations for human clinical trials of the lab’s age reversal gene therapy are in progress.
“This new discovery offers the potential to reverse ageing with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving eyesight to effectively treating numerous age-related diseases,” Sinclair explained.
