From the day we were born, we all keep aging every day until we eventually die. This is the unfortunate reality of life. But imagine being able to turn back the clock and live longer, or even remain immortal. This may sound crazy, but according to scientists, reversing aging may soon become a reality.
People enjoy staying youthful. Many wish they would never grow old. Everyone desires to remain young, energetic, and vibrant. Many industries have dedicated themselves to making this dream a reality. The beauty industry has offered a series of beauty products designed to help people look younger. The health sector has promoted healthy diet and lifestyle habits to keep our bodies from deteriorating fast. However, scientific developments have lately uncovered a revolutionary biotechnology reverse aging.
Why Do We Age?
Once cells are born, they grow, multiply, and eventually die. This is nature. However, the duration of their lifespan depends on the extent of damage caused by their internal and external environment. Cells undergo various changes over the course of their lives. Some changes are beneficial, some have no effect, while others are damaging. And sometimes, changes may occur in the DNA sequence of cells, altering cell features, which can speed up our pace to death.
Nobody wants to get old. Aging comes with a lot of burdens, like age-related diseases, poor function of organs, and poor mental and cognitive performances. In the book called The Biology of Aging: A Primer, J.P. de Magalhaes defined aging as a progressive deterioration of physiological function accompanied by an increase in vulnerability and mortality with age.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, the global average life expectancy in 2019 was 73.4 years. With the help of reverse aging technology, it is believed to be able to extend life expectancy by up to 150 years.
Reverse Aging Breakthrough
In 2016, Gabriel Filsinger, in his review on Resetting the Aging Clock, stated that even though there is a variety of anti-aging therapies, the approaches they follow only result in moderate output in health and longevity. He suggested that anti-aging techniques should be able to address the root cause of health deterioration.
He further stated that reprogramming allows one to entirely reverse the consequences of aging, at least on a cellular level. This approach involves injecting proteins into older cells to restore them to an embryonic-like condition, and according to Filsinger, it is one of the few treatments that may reverse cellular aging. He suggested that because reprogramming resets age by resetting a cell’s epigenetic (reversible changes in the DNA) state, it may be possible to modify epigenetics and match the anti-aging effects.
Based on the groundbreaking research reported by the University of Cambridge in April 2022, human skin cells can be reversed by 30 years. The scientists say they have developed the first Maturation Phase Transient Reprogramming (MPTR). By applying their reprogramming approach to skin cells, they were able to rejuvenate cells more effectively than previous reprogramming methods.
In another study, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine suggested a way to live younger and healthier. They claimed that the Metformin drug would successfully aid longevity. By identifying the genes that are resilient to all the negative aspects of aging and extracting those genes from the blood, scientists were able to synthesize Metformin which mimicked the genetic advantages to slow the rate of aging.
As reported by The Guardian, scientists have spent decades attempting to harness the power of genomics and artificial intelligence to find a way to prevent or even reverse aging. Backed by governments, businesses, academics, and investors, reverse aging technology is now worth $110 billion and is expected to be worth $610 billion by 2025.
The Bumpy but Inevitable Future
Reversing aging sounds like something out of a science fiction novel. But it’s about to become a reality. And it appears that the practice is going to face a bumpy road. Just as much as it’s attracting tremendous support, it’s also encountering resistance. Oppositions are already being noticed from an ethical point of view.
Such groups argue that tampering with nature is not always a good idea. There will be repercussions when messing with the laws of nature. They say death is a force that keeps nature in balance. Therefore, it would be immoral to upset the equilibrium of nature. Furthermore, if everyone could live for more than 100 years, life on Earth would be difficult due to the planet’s limited resources.
Nevertheless, the brutal truth is that humans can’t get enough of life. So far, the reverse aging technology, even at its infancy stage, has captivated the interest of many individuals and groups. And with an opportunity like this, I’d bet humans would choose to live longer rather than have a second thought about ethics.
Photo:Master1305/Shutterstock
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