Future NZ: Finding the fountain of youth

A pill that will make humans live for longer may sound like the mythical Fountain of Youth, but it could be developed in the next 30 years.

Creating an anti-ageing pill requires a target that the pill will modify, usually a gene or genetic pathway and this is where things have started to get hot (scientifically speaking) recently.

There is now overwhelming evidence for a strong genetic basis to ageing. On the one hand this isn't too surprising; longevity is known to run in families. On the other hand, isn't ageing just a gradual, random deterioration? This notion was thrown out by studies showing that mutations in just a single gene can dramatically increase the lifespan of simple organisms like nematode worms.

The problem is that nematodes are not humans, and finding a genetic pathway that affects human ageing in the same way as our less complex brethren has proved maddeningly difficult.

In my research I've taken the approach of looking for ageing genes in simple organisms - in my case the humble baker's yeast - and then checking to see if humans have a similar genetic pathway working in the same way.

We believe ageing works more or less in the same way in a wide range of species because ageing is universal, so the core ageing genes are likely to be universal as well. But therein lies the trick: the Holy Grail of ageing research is finding these universal ageing genes, rather than the ones specific to each species, and the Holy Grail is still waiting to be found.

The bigger question is whether living longer is really what we want.

In an over-populated, ageing future society, the focus must be on living better, rather than living longer. What we really want is a pill that increases healthspan (the years of healthy living) rather than lifespan - in other words something that decreases, rather than increases, the burden on society. The "anti-ageing" pills of the future might actually be "healthspan improving" pills that don't make us live longer at all.

Recent research shows that in several species ageing treatments can improve healthspan more than lifespan. The aim is to find a genetic pathway of ageing in humans that pharmaceuticals can target to reduce the impact of ageing and thereby improve the quality of ageing life. In this area, too, the prospects are bright.

In terms of potential scientific breakthroughs, living forever might not be as far-fetched as it sounds. While a pill is never going to get us there, we do all carry immortal cells within us - stem cells which are the likely gateway to immortality. There will be a time when we can grow ourselves a new organ from stem cells to replace a run-down, old one.

There are, of course, major issues with that kind of treatment. What does it mean for self-identity if we're replacing people's brains? And how would it impact population growth?

Ageing research is making rapid progress, and in the short term we face a tension between individual interests and societal interests. Shifting the focus to improving healthspan, rather than lifespan is essential. In the long term the issues get more complex, and we must understand what we are trading off for a longer life.

After all, there's another kind of immortal cell that you will have heard of. Cancer. And that's the kind of unpredictable outcome no one wants.

Dr Austen Ganley is a senior lecturer with Massey University's Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. His current research focuses on the role of rDNA genes in the ageing process.