In a discovery that researchers hope could have similar effects in humans, a drug has been found to increase the lifespan of laboratory animals by almost 25%.
Mice treated with the drug were found to be healthier, stronger and less likely to develop cancer than mice not given the treatment. In fact, they lived an average of 155 weeks compared to 120 weeks.
Researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science, Imperial College London and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore developed the drug, which is already being tested in people, investigating the inhibition of the protein interleukin-11.
It is not yet known whether the same anti-ageing effect could be seen in humans, but the discovery certainly holds potential. The pharmaceutical industry is hot on the heels of the anti-ageing market, with several clinical trials underway investigating the use of another anti-ageing compound, rapamycin.
In the UK, NHS spend per person rises sharply after the age of 50 – with the 85 and above bracket requiring NHS spending of £7,000 a year on average. The potential of this new drug to extend healthy lifespans could not only revolutionise the field of anti-ageing medicine, but also significantly alleviate the financial burden on healthcare systems worldwide.
