Scientist claims he has proof reverse ageing is possible - but experts disagree

15 July 2023 , 15:49

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The breakthrough discovery could reverse the ageing process (Image: Getty Images/Image Source)

In one of mankind's greatest quests, scientists may have brought us one step closer to the fountain of youth. Scientists at Harvard have discovered a cocktail of drugs which could be combined into a pill which could reverse ageing.

The team discovered six chemical cocktails which reversed the ageing process in both human and mice skin cells "by several years". The finding was hailed as a breakthrough and a step toward "affordable whole-body rejuvenation".

Sharing the findings on Twitter, Dr David Sinclair, a molecular biologist at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study, claimed human trials could begin within the next year.

Other scientists, including a Harvard professor, have warned the study is "mostly hype and preliminary." Previous attempts to reverse ageing were only possible through an expensive and time-consuming method called genetic editing. If that process went to market it would cost millions of dollars.

The cocktail could be combined into a pill (Getty Images)

This latest study, published in the journal Aging, builds on existing research into anti-ageing genes. The research which discovered that the expression of specific genes called Yamanaka factors, could convert adult cells into young cells.

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The Nobel Prize-winning discovery raised the question of whether it could be possible to reverse cellular ageing, without causing cells to become too young and turn cancerous. In the latest research, scientists screened for millions of combinations of molecules which could reverse cellular ageing and rejuvenate human cells.

Six chemical cocktails were identified which restore ageing cells to their younger forms in less than a week. The team tested the cocktails on mice and human cells, with results showing de-ageing of all six combinations.

The impacts of this four-day treatment is similar to the total change seen after a whole year of regenerative treatment described in a 2019 study which also focused on restoring epigenetic information, according to researchers.

The team discovered six chemical cocktails which reversed the ageing process in both human and mice skin cells (Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

Changes in age were assessed using rodent and human transcriptomic clocks, which use gene expression data to predict biological age.

Dr Sinclair said: "This new discovery offers the potential to reverse ageing with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving eyesight to effectively treating age-related diseases."

But not everyone is sold on the study. Some biologists say the researchers should have known that de-ageing the cells caused a decrease in age-related health problems in mice.

Matt Kaeberlein said: "These cocktails they describe here might even have useful therapeutic properties. But there is no direct data in this paper providing evidence for such.

Dr Sinclair has been in the news himself in recent years as he continues his quest for eternal youth. He claims he has de-aged himself by a decade. (Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

"They should have validated at least one of these cocktails in an animal and shown improvements in age-related health metrics or lifespan before making these claims about effects on biological ageing."

Sharing the paper on Twitter and in a press release, Dr Sinclair hailed it as "a breakthrough discovery."

He tweeted: "We've previously shown age reversal is possible using gene therapy to turn on embryonic genes. Now we show it's possible with chemical cocktails, a step towards affordable whole-body rejuvenation."

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Dr Sinclair has been in the news himself in recent years as he continues his quest for eternal youth. He claims he has de-aged himself by a decade.

A study in 2020 by Sinclair and his team showed how they reset ageing cells in mice to earlier versions of themselves. Speaking to CNN, he said: "It's a permanent reset, as far as we can tell, and we think it may be a universal process that could be applied across the body to reset our age."

Fiona Leishman