Is 100 the norm, scientists reverse the aging process

Time is ticking away mercilessly and we can see that in our bodies. Gray hair, crow's feet, bad eyesight, memory problems... it's all part of the aging process. No one can escape time, but not if it's up to the scientists at the Salk Institute. They have succeeded in reversing the aging process in mammals. In ten years' time, tests on humans may follow and if the treatment also works for us, we will all easily reach the age of one hundred. American scientists at the Salk Institute in the American state of California have found a way to reverse the aging process in mice. The animals not only look younger, they also live thirty percent longer.

New technique

According to Doctor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, aging is not a one-way street.

Using a new technique, the researchers allow adult cells to return to their embryonic form, which means they are actually turning back the clock for those cells. The technique consists of stimulating four genes that are mainly active during their development in the womb. Tests show that the clock can also be turned back for skin cells, making the skin look fresh and young again.

Tests on humans

The technique is already working on mice. In ten years, the researchers hope to carry out tests on humans. The researchers hope that they can develop a drug that mimics the effect of the four genes. It would take about ten years before the new technique can be tested on humans. 'Our research shows that ageing is not a one-way street,' says doctor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte. 'The process can be reversed.'

Of course, it will be much more difficult to reverse the ageing process in humans than in mice, but the study does show that ageing is a dynamic process. 'The process is more susceptible to adjustments than we initially thought,' says Belmonte.

A hundred years old

Scientists feared that the special 'gene technology' could damage organs or even cause cancer. But this new study now shows that reversing the ageing process is possible without negative side effects. If the technology is as successful in humans as it is in mice, we will easily live to be over a hundred years old.

Not only would we live much longer with this groundbreaking method, we would also stay healthy for much longer. Age-related diseases such as dementia, cancer, and heart disease would be postponed to a higher age.