What a good idea.
Quote:
Scientists find way to reverse aging in mice
Molecular biologist Dr. Ronald DePinho at Harvard Medical School in Boston was able to pull off the feat by playing with "telomeres" -- the protective DNA caps on the ends of our chromosomes.
Scientists have long known that a little bit of our telomeres erodes each time our cells divide. Previous research has shown that people with longer telomeres tend to live longer, whereas those with shorter telomeres suffer more from age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's.
...So he took a group of engineered mice and added back the telomerase gene, but left it inactive. His team then allowed the mice to age for six months, until they were the equivalent of 80-year-old humans. They then gave the mice a drug that "switched on" the telomerase gene.
One month later, not only did the new production of telomerase stop the aging process in the mice, it appeared to actually undo the premature aging so that the mice became the physiological equivalent of young adults.
"We expected to see a slowing or a stabilization of aging. Instead, what we found was a dramatic reversal in aging," he told CTV.
"The shrunken brains increased, new neurons were formed, the coat hair was restored to a new sheen."
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When are they to do the experiments on normal mice to extend their lives?