Age reversing drug three years from market

A drug that reverses ageing, promotes DNA repair and could even help astronauts travel to Mars by reducing the impact of cosmic radiation, may be on the market in three years, scientists claim.

Researchers working with two biotech companies hope to begin testing the treatment on clinical trial patients in the next six months.

In early experiments the drug, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), had a dramatic rejuvenating effect on ageing mice.

Lead scientist Professor David Sinclair, from the University of South Wales (USW) in Australia and Harvard Medical School in the US, said: “The cells of the old mice were indistinguishable from the young mice, after just one week of treatment.

“This is the closest we are to a safe and effective anti-ageing drug that’s perhaps only three to five years away from being on the market if the trials go well.”

The work has attracted the interest of the American space agency Nasa, which is looking for ways of shielding astronauts from the effects of radiation on the long voyage to Mars.

High levels of cosmic radiation mean that the chances of unprotected astronauts developing cancer could approach 100%.

A competition run by Nasa in search for possible solutions was won by Prof Sinclair’s team last year.