Could we turn back ageing clock for real?

A NEW study shows scientists might be able to not only slow the process of ageing but actually reverse it, Benjamin Button-style.

Volunteers in a California study were given a cocktail of three common drugs for one year – a growth hormone and two diabetes medications. Scientists had been testing the drugs in the hope of regenerating the thymus gland.

But upon further analysis, they found that participants had lost an average of 2.5 years on their “epigenetic clock”, measured by analysing marks on a person’s genomes, according to the journal Nature. Participants’ immune systems also showed signs of rejuvenation. Even the scientists who conducted the study were shocked by the results. “I’d expected to see slowing down of the clock, but not a reversal,” UCLA researcher Steve Horvath said. “That felt kind of futuristic.”

Researchers warn findings are preliminary. The study only included nine participants and did not include a control group. But if further research confirms the findings, the impact on health care and society’s relationship with ageing as a whole could be massive.

The epigenetic clock is measured by a record of chemical changes to an organism’s DNA. The trial’s main purpose was to test whether growth hormone could be used to restore tissue in the thymus gland, which is crucial for immune function.

Scientists only checked the epigenetic clocks in the participants as an afterthought.

The researchers are planning a larger study with more diverse participants.