The research is a big step in a small field that has been progressing at pace since the advent of the new tools of genetics.
Another paper published in the US journal Science describes the discovery of 10 new genes that are thought to regulate longevity in yeast cells. "Even though yeast is a simple, single-cell organism, it's still capable of revealing mecha-nisms in the aging process," said the study's lead researcher, Stanley Field of the University of Washington in Seattle.
According to Dr Longo, studies in animals are likely to continue for the next 10 years before tests in humans. If the same genetic mechanisms prove to exist in humans, he believes it could lead to drugs that suppress aging, particularly after people have had families.
Were drugs to become avai-lable that dramatically exten-ded lifespan, the social impact of a population boom could have serious consequences for homes and pension provision.
Aubrey de Grey, a bio-medical gerontologist at Cambridge University and advocate for therapies that greatly extend life, believes that while the problems should not be underestimated, it is unethical not to pursue anti-aging research.
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