The “anti-aging drug” has long sounded like some sci-fi pipe dream. Popping a pill to slow aging seems absolutely amazing—but is it really a possibility?
Sources from Keio University’s Research Ethics Committee says it is. They are currently exploring the “appropriateness” of such a drug; if it’s a go, Washington University in St. Louis and Keio University will begin a clinical study on ten people with the drug in Japan this summer.
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Currently, the compound, nicotinamide mononucleotide or NMN, which is a chemical produced by living things and found in food products, has shown to slow the aging process in mice—more specifically, by activating the anti-aging gene of sirtuin. The studies have also shown that mice given the drug lived longer and aged slower.
“We’ve confirmed a remarkable effect in the experiment using mice, but it’s not clear yet how much [the compound] will affect humans,” Prof. Shinichiro Imai of Washington University said. “We’ll carefully conduct the study, which I hope will result in important findings originating in Japan.”
