GOOD NEWS TO THE AGED

DRUG TO REVERSE AGEING LIKELY BY 2020

(Source: News paper ‘Times of India’)

     A drug that reverses ageing could be on the market by 2020, scientists said. In early experiments the drug nicotinamide mono-nucleotide (NMN), had a dramatic rejuvenating effect on ageing mice. The cells of the old mice were indistinguishable from the young mice just after one week of treatment. NMN boosts the levels of NAD+, the oxidized form of the chemical nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, which is naturally present in every cell of the body and helps regulate protein interactions that control DNA repair.

     Accumulated DNA damage is believed to be a major driver of natural ageing and a primary cause of cancer. Levels of NAD+, a “co-enzyme” or “helper” that assists essential proteins, decline with age. Recent work high-lighting the chemical potential anti-ageing properties have led to an influx of NAD+ supplements available online.

     The research reported in the journal Science showed that NAD+ boosts the activity of a well known DNA repair enzyme called PARP1. Reduced levels of NAD+ with age were thought to reduce the ability of PARP1 to repair damaged DNA. The work has attracted the interest of NASA, which is looking for shielding astronauts from the effects of radiation on the long voyage to Mars.