Will human beings ever be able to grow younger?

​Will human beings ever be able to grow younger? If you posed this question to me some time ago, my  response would have been more or less the following: "Sure, living beings have as much chance of growing younger as pigs have a chance to fly!"
 
We know that the aging process is now defined as genetically programmed in all living things, and researchers are working hard to find out how to slow it down. But reverse it? Come on!
 
But then, as always in scientific research, one needs someone to make a breakthrough to push the understanding of our genetic makeup to a new level. This breakthrough came in the form of introducing the so-called Yamanaka factors by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka in 2006. Dr. Yamanaka demonstrated that his four factors, Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, could generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). A pluripotent stem cell has the same characteristics as an embryonic stem cell, which can change into any body cell, such as skin, nerve, and muscle cells,  et cetera. Dr. Yamanaka first proved this was possible in mature mouse cells and repeated the experiment with mature human cells. This discovery marked a turning point in stem-cell research because it offered a way of obtaining human stem cells without the controversial use of human embryos. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2012 for this groundbreaking research. 
 
The significance of Yamanaka factors in epigenetic rejuvenation research lies in their ability to reset the epigenetic marks of a cell, essentially turning back the clock on cellular aging. By introducing Yamanaka factors, researchers can induce a state of pluripotency in cells, effectively erasing the epigenetic marks associated with aging and allowing the cells to regain a more youthful state.
 
While gene therapy is complex, researchers from the Harvard Medical School, the University of Maine, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published "Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging" in June 2023 in Ageing. Their experiments with mice engineered to age rapidly tested chemical alternatives to gene therapy to reverse the aging process with promising results. The dream of whole-body rejuvenation suddenly has become a reality. 
 
Says Dr David Sinclair, professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard and leader of the research team: "This discovery offers the potential to reverse aging with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving eyesight to effectively treating numerous age-related diseases."
 
With all these beautiful breakthroughs in the world of science it is clear that one day we will be not only be able slow down aging but also reverse it. Luckily, one day, when that wondrous get-younger-pill is available, many undesirable characters, especially in politics, won't be around anymore; who wants a youthful and energized Trump, Putin, and Kim Jong Un all over again? 

Article by Anthony Penderis, a Cape Town-based South African and author of "The Carpet Mind: The Laws of Thinking Defined" (Authorhouse 2013). Available on Amazon.  ​