Can man win the battle against the ravages of time? “Probably yes,” answers the scientific community, which has focused its efforts on genes that can reverse aging, conquering the concept of longevity. In fact, the most far-sighted are already working on a solution to a problem that could arise from the rapid growth of the world’s population: colonies in space.

Youth is due to specific genes distributed throughout the human body, which decrease with age. Scientists in the US are working on a formula that will strengthen them. This is not a mutation, but an increase in critical genes with extra copies. This method has already been successfully applied in mice, which significantly improved heart and kidney function, as well as blood sugar levels. It is currently being applied to other species for more reliable conclusions before human trials begin; it is estimated that this will happen in about 10 years.

“If we fix all medical pathways, then we will only face accidental death, infectious diseases and violence.”

In the meantime, there are reasonable hopes that the process will find a way to protect human cells from viral infections. After all, gene therapy is considered the “key” to treating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and cognitive decline. “The tools behind the reversal of aging include a combination of therapies being developed for a range of diseases and gene therapy. We are focused on all mechanisms at once. One example is preventive strategies targeting all major pathways of aging – see telomeres, mitochondria, glucose, proteostasis and epigenetics. But instead of targeting our immune system at our own aging cells, we are trying to reduce autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and loss of immune range. Let’s not forget that the use of gene therapy would ideally have the benefit of a once-in-a-lifetime dose.” Dr. George Church explains “K”., one of the pioneers of global anti-aging efforts. Dr. Church is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and is considered a guru in manipulating the life-giving genes hidden inside every human cell. We asked him to effortlessly share his most optimistic scenario. “If we correct only one pathology, like cancer, we will only add a few years to life expectancy. If we fix all medical pathways, perhaps in a few decades, then we will be left with only accidents, infectious diseases and violence – solutions to some of which will also depend on reducing poverty, as well as limiting psychiatric problems.

But the fight against aging will also have side effects on the world as we know it today. “Potential problems will relate to overpopulation and an increased tendency to avoid risks with all the consequences that follow from this. However, on the first question, today the number of children in the family has decreased to 1.2, as more than 80% of the population has moved to cities. In addition, we may soon begin to migrate into space, which will further reduce the population of the Earth. Given the exponential pace of development of science and technology, we can almost completely eliminate disease and poverty. We may then have even more resources to apply many of the new biotechnologies to help with the problems of space colonies, including aggravating factors such as microgravity, pollution, and radiation,” says Dr. Church.

On first reading, the recipe for longevity would be both precious and expensive to be widely consumed. Or maybe the other way around? “The cost depends on the size of the market. For example, a gene therapy that targets a rare disease (like the drug Zolgensma) costs $2 million per dose. But the top five gene therapy vaccines for COVID-19 cost just $2 a dose. Therefore, an anti-aging drug that would lower health care costs for all people could even be cheaper, if not free, for all people – see smallpox protection available to all of the world’s 7.8 billion people.”

Who

Dr. George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, and a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. In addition to the area of ​​longevity, he also actively restores extinct genes such as the mammoth, with the aim of adapting the properties of Asian elephants so that they can survive in the Arctic.