According to a leading longevity expert, someone reading this might realistically live to be 150 thanks to advances in technology.
The Dr Steven Cohen, owner of wellness clinics in California and London, says he is on the verge of harnessing a stem cell therapy that can reduce people’s age.
A recent technology, which is only 5 years old, might indeed revolutionize the sector of the fight once morest aging.
This breakthrough involves injecting exosomes, small vesicles naturally produced by stem cells.
Other scientists have suggested that we might one day live to be 200 years old and are exploring technologies such as pills to eliminate “zombie cells” and ways to modify DNA to extend a person’s lifespan.
The Dr Cohen said, “The possibility of prolonging or delaying aging sounds like science fiction, but it is within reach and will be available soon.”
“We’ve been somewhat held back by the belief that you have to die one day and you can’t live forever. But in reality, some animals live for hundreds or even thousands of years,” he added.
Stem cells are found everywhere in the human body, and have the ability to transform into some 200 types of cells that make up humans in order to repair them.
The treatment of certain injuries, cancers or brain diseases has also already been improved by the use of stem cells, which help to repair and regenerate damaged tissue in a unique way.
As an individual ages, the number of stem cells in his body decreases, and thus loses regenerative capacities.
As stem cells are reduced in number, fewer exosomes are produced in the body. Now, these little bubbles are the ones that travel to injured, old or dying cells, carrying vital proteins.
Scientists claim that decreasing the number of these cells in the body accelerates aging because the cells are less able to repair themselves.
There is growing scientific evidence that increasing the number of exosomes slows down the aging process.
And article published last year showed that having more exosomes in the body stimulated brain function, whileanother published the same year suggested they might reduce frailty and help people live longer.
The new treatment of Dr Cohen, which might be available by 2028, involves injecting a person with exosomes produced by younger stem cells.
The hope is that these bubbles will flow into the organs and help “de-age” them, allowing the person to live longer.
It has also been suggested that they can revitalize the skin and give a more youthful appearance.
The procedure, when available, will likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per person.