Scientists at Harvard University claim to have come excitingly close to finding the proverbial Fountain of Youth. According to a recent publication in the scientific journal Aging, the team has identified six chemical concoctions that have the ability to reverse the aging process in both human and mice skin cells.

Dr. David Sinclair, a molecular biologist at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study, has hailed this as a “breakthrough” and sees it as a step towards “affordable whole-body rejuvenation.”

Dr. Sinclair has even suggested that human trials could commence within the next year. This prediction has caught the attention of prominent figures, such as tech mogul Elon Musk. He responded to the news with curiosity asking, “Ok, so what exactly is it?”

How to create a Fountain of Youth pill

The researchers utilized high-throughput cell-based assays to distinguish young cells from their older, senescent counterparts. These senescent cells are cells that have stopped multiplying, a characteristic hallmark of aging.

Through high-throughput screening, the team was able to rapidly test thousands to millions of samples for biological activity at the model organism, cellular, pathway, or molecular level.

The specific markers used for aging included transcription-based aging clocks and real-time nucleocytoplasmic protein compartmentalisation (NCC) assay. NCC is a vital function in cells, including stem cells, bone cells, and muscle cells.

Six chemical cocktails for anti-aging

This comprehensive approach culminated in the identification of six chemical mixtures that, according to the press release, “restored NCC and genome-wide transcript profiles to youthful states and reversed transcriptomic age [biological age] in less than a week.”

Upon testing these cocktails on mice and human cells, the results suggested a de-aging effect for all six combinations.

“The effect of this four-day treatment is comparable to the total change seen after a year of a regenerative treatment described in a landmark study from 2019, which also focused on restoring epigenetic information,” said the researchers. Researchers evaluated age changes using rodent and human transcriptomic clocks, which predict biological age using gene expression data.

“This new discovery offers the potential to reverse aging with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving eyesight to effectively treating age-related diseases,” said Dr. Sinclair.

Some experts are skeptical

However, other biologists have met this enthusiastic claim with skepticism. Matt Kaeberlein, a biogerontologist, offered cautious praise. He says that the innovative screening method could one day lead to significant discoveries. However, he also noted that the study is preliminary.

Kaeberlein suggested that the team should have validated at least one of the concoctions in an animal model. He believes they also should have shown improvements in age-related health metrics or lifespan before making these claims about effects on biological aging.

Dr. Charles Brenner, a metabolism researcher, raised concerns about three compounds in the study. The first is CHIR99021, which blocks glycogen formation activated during sleep to store energy. Next is tranylcypromine, an antidepressant. Finally,valproic acid, used to treat bipolar disorder but can potentially harm the liver.

The study did not mention these potential risks. Brenner warned, “These are generally not safe alone or in a combination.”

Moreover, Brenner criticized the study for not using single-cell sequencing to evaluate cell identity. He pointed out that researchers initially reported these cocktails in 2013, suggesting that the compounds are not new discoveries. “Getting these readouts on cells is not a groundbreaking study on reversal of aging,” said Brenner.

Amidst this range of responses, it’s clear that we need to conduct further research and careful examination before we can proclaim the arrival of a true Fountain of Youth pill.