Harvard Scientists Reverse Aging In Mice And Hope To Do So In Humans Soon

Mice in a research lab of Harvard Medical School are going back in time as scientists have found a way to reverse their aging process. David Sinclair, a molecular biologist, and his team have discovered a way to counter the aging of cells in rats and believe that one day this could be a reality for humans as well.  

Adult cells from a rat were taken and turned into stem cells using a protein that enables this conversion. This has reset aging cells and altered the aging process for mice.

This led to the regaining of sight of a mouse that was losing its vision. The critter began to see as well as its young were able to see.  

The desired outcome of such research is to prevent the human body from degenerating and developing age-related diseases. If we can reverse aging, we can potentially prevent these diseases from ever forming in the first place.

It seems that this Benjamin Button effect does not freeze the aging process completely. The body will continue to get older, but another age reversal could take place to hinder the process again.

Mice and men are not made the same, of course. What works for them might not work for us. While we are still years away from just heading down to the local clinic to go back in time, it is still a landmark discovery that could reshape how medicine moves forward.  

Sinclair’s team is among the deluge of scientists looking to make human bodies look and behave younger. Researchers at Salk Institute have also successfully reversed aging in mice, while scientists at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge have even managed to de-age human skin cells by 30 years.

[via CNN,  Interesting Engineering, NPR, cover image via Photo 34860248 © Anyaivanova | Dreamstime.com]