Once scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the underlying aging processes, it can be expected that an effective anti-aging agent may appear in the near future. A team of Australian researchers have discovered one of the fundamental elements of aging. It is a molecular process that allows the body to repair damaged DNA. Scientists believe that this discovery could be used in the development of a new drug that can effectively slow down the aging process.
The cells of the human body have the innate ability to repair damaged DNA. The recovery process occurs constantly, when, for example, a person is in the sun.
It is worth noting that the ability to recover decreases markedly with age. This activates the aging process.
Scientists have conducted studies on laboratory mice, the results of which give reason to hope that in the coming years, means may appear that, by improving the ability of cells to repair DNA damaged by aging, slow this process down. According to the author of the experiment, representative of the University of New South Wales David Sinclair, after one week of treatment, the cells of old mice could not be distinguished from the cells of young individuals.
Scientists plan to begin testing this technique on humans in about six months.
The treatment for the mice involved increasing the level of a protein that controls DNA repair and is naturally present in the human body. If the drug is used by people, it will help fight the effects of radiation, which, due to DNA damage, accelerates the aging process.
The results of studies on mice were greeted with great enthusiasm by NASA experts. They believe that the technique could help them keep astronauts healthy on a four-year mission to Mars. Astronauts experience accelerated aging, even during short-term flights, due to exposure to cosmic radiation. In addition, upon returning from space, they suffer from memory loss, muscle weakness, and other symptoms. And if we talk about an expedition to the red planet, then the situation is much worse, since, according to scientists, about five percent of the cells of the human body will die.