Harvard scientists claim discovery of chemicals for pill to reverse ageing

Scientists at Harvard Medical School claim to have discovered a cocktail of drugs that could be combined into a pill that could reverse ageing in humans, according to a report in the  New York Post. A study by the researchers titled “Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging” was published in the journal Aging on July 12.

The team discovered six chemical cocktails which reversed the ageing process in both human and mice skin cells “by several years”.

A member of the Harvard research team, David Sinclair, also tweeted: ”Grateful to share our latest publication: 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.”

Each chemical cocktail contained between five and seven agents, many of which are known to treat other physical and mental disorders. The Harvard Medical School team worked for over three years to find molecules that can combine to reverse cellular ageing and rejuvenate human cells, he added.

”Studies on the optic nerve, brain tissue, kidney, and muscle have shown promising results, with improved vision and extended lifespan in mice and, recently, in April of this year, improved vision in monkeys,” the researcher further tweeted.

”Preparations for human clinical trials of our first age reversal gene therapy are ongoing,” and the first human clinical trials are currently scheduled to “begin late next year, assuming all goes well, he added.

But other scientists including a Harvard professor, have warned that the study is mainly hype and still preliminary.