Experts find a way to stop us ageing

SCIENTISTS have unlocked the secrets of a key gene which helps us to stop ageing and fight disease.

The ageing breakthrough unlocks secrets to a longer life The ageing breakthrough unlocks secrets to a longer life

The breakthrough could lead to developing drugs that slow the ageing process, experts hope.

Although not an “elixir of life” which could prevent people from ageing completely, they say a drug based on the gene is a real possibility for cutting how quickly the body ages.

The gene also boosts the body’s ability to fight “stress resistance” like poisoning or major temperature changes as well as giving better immunity against infections. It is being hailed as a major “piece of the puzzle” in understanding how we get older, our lifespan and resistance to disease.

Dr Robin May, who led the research, said: “I think there is definite potential, within our lifetime, that we will be able to develop drugs to slow the ageing process based on this gene. Although stopping the ageing process may not happen, slowing it down is quite realistic.”

The breakthrough could lead to developing drugs that slow the ageing process

Dr May’s team at the University of Birmingham found that higher levels of the gene – called DAF-16 – are directly linked with longer life. It is hoped that understanding how genes affect the inevitable process of cell death will one day lead to new drugs to slow the ageing process. These could boost the amount of the gene in our bodies, potentially helping us live longer and healthier.

The scientists, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council found that DAF-16 was strongly involved in determining ageing and average lifespan of laboratory worms. Dr May said: “We wanted to find out how normal ageing is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits, such as immunity.

“To do that, we looked at a gene that we already knew to be involved in the ageing process, called DAF-16, to see how it may determine the different rates of ageing in different species. If you have more of that gene, you have got a better chance of living longer. Exposing the worms to a short burst of higher temperature, a quick bit of stress, increased the activity of this gene.

“It leads to the idea of what doesn’t kill you, does you good. If we have some moderate level of stress or challenge, that might be sufficient for us to live longer.”

Humans have an equivalent gene to DAF-16 called FOXO, according to the study published today in the journal PLoS ONE.

This is the latest research to help unlock the secrets behind human ageing. Experts at the Institute of Ageing and Health at Newcastle University recently made what they described as a “breakthrough” after discovering why we grow old. The Birmingham team will now study how DAF-16 coordinates a complex network of genes to balance the differing needs of an individual’s immune system over time.

Professor Douglas Kell of the BBSRC said: “It is very important to develop a good understanding of healthy ageing if we are to appreciate what happens to an older person’s physiology when they become unwell or experience difficulties with everyday tasks such as recalling memories or moving around. Improving the healthspan to mirror increases in the lifespan is an important subject of BBSRC research.”

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?