Today's Edition
DUBAI (WAM)
Ageing could soon be treated as a medical condition rather than an inevitable part of life, with scientists moving closer to reversing the biological clock, according to leading longevity researcher Professor David Sinclair.
Speaking during a session titled “The Science of Living Longer and Better” on the final day of the World Governments Summit (WGS) in Dubai, Prof. Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School’s Blavatnik institute, said humanity is on the verge of witnessing the most significant health transformation since the discovery of clean water and vaccines.
Sinclair said advances in biotechnology are rapidly improving scientists’ ability to control human biology.
He predicted that within the next 10 to 20 years, modern healthcare systems could appear outdated as treatments shift toward preventing and reversing ageing itself.
“For many years, we ignored ageing,” Sinclair said, adding that ageing should no longer be accepted as inevitable.
“Ageing is a medical condition that is increasingly treatable.”
He explained that most age-related diseases emerge simultaneously as people grow older. By the age of 80, more than half of the population suffers from at least five chronic illnesses.
Sinclair said targeting individual diseases such as cancer would only marginally extend lifespan. Eliminating all cancers, he noted, would increase average life expectancy by just 2.5 years, because other diseases would still develop.
Instead, Sinclair’s research focuses on slowing or reversing ageing itself, the root cause of many major illnesses.
In a major scientific milestone, Sinclair revealed that his team is preparing to launch human clinical trials aimed at reversing the ageing process.
The trials, expected to begin soon, will test epigenetic programming therapies designed to restore cells to a more youthful state.
“We are about to test, for the first time in history, whether we can reverse ageing and cure diseases,” he said.
The research builds on findings that ageing is driven by chemical changes in DNA rather than irreversible damage.
Sinclair likened the process to scratches on a CD, where DNA holds the original “music” of youth but becomes disrupted over time.
“Scientists have found ways to ‘polish’ the biological system and restore cellular function.”
Using modified Yamanaka genes, a set of genetic factors known to reprogram cells, Sinclair’s team has already demonstrated the ability to reverse ageing in animal tissues by up to 75 per cent within weeks.
The method has successfully restored vision in animal models suffering from blindness.
The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first human trial of epigenetic reprogramming therapy, initially targeting eye diseases such as glaucoma, with potential future applications across the body.
Beyond health benefits, Sinclair highlighted the massive economic implications of slowing ageing.“In the US, extending a healthy lifespan by one year could generate an estimated $38 trillion in economic value by improving productivity of people,” he said.
He also linked his research to global challenges, noting that declining fertility rates are reducing workforce numbers.
“There are two solutions, replace them with robots or keep them alive and healthy,” he said.
“Our greatest asset is human productivity.”
He expressed optimism that the first evidence of successful age reversal therapies could emerge within months, potentially marking the beginning of a new era in medicine focused on extending lifespan.
