A method to reverse getting older has been sought for centuries. It sounds impossible, but some researchers recently may have discovered part of the answer. However, at this stage, it only works on mice.
Mice age reverse discovered
It was discovered at the Harvard Medical School that gene therapy, reports ABC, can be used to reverse the age of laboratory mice. Dr. Ronald A. DePinho of Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute headed the research team. Nature was the journal that the findings were published in. After scientists were able to genetically engineer mice that aged faster, gene therapy was used to reverse the effects of getting older, and it was successful. Darker fur would grow by mice that had their hair turn gray. Brain tissue was regenerated for house mice who had their brains shrunk, kind of like Alzheimer’s disease. Organ functions were restored to those that had lost some of the functions. The infertility wasn't there anymore. It just showed that aging could be able to be stopped. The effects of aging might be stopped anyway.
It worked well
Gene therapy is used for making the process operate. There are caps on chromosomes which are part of DNA. Telomeres are the name of these caps. Telomeres produce a protective compound called telomerase, which is exactly what the study focused on. There is less production of telomerase when organisms age. The DNA ends up getting damaged as the telomeres breaks down. The laboratory mice were given gene therapy to reverse telomere breakdown. The process being slowed was the purpose of the study rather than reversing aging totally.
Exactly what the issue is
The catch is that the gene therapy is not even close to being available for humans. There can be a benefit for humans. Telomere growth may be stimulated by drug regimens. It may become accessible to humans. If that is the case, the only thing affected can be the breakdown of the body because of aging. Individuals won't be able to live forever with telomerase therapy.
Citations
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/Health/Alzheimers/aging-reversed-mice/story?id=12269125&page=1
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