The fear of aging and its decaying effects on the body is a concern shared by people across the world. A new drug developed by the University of New South Wales in Australia may help prevent the development of age-related diseases and increase life span.

The drug works by targeting and switching on the SIRT1 enzyme, which in turn slows the rate of aging. The activators in the drug enhance the effects of the enzyme to levels it would not reach through natural processes. These activators can be found in trace amounts in things such as wine, but technological advancements have allowed for the development of synthetic activators that can be produced in larger quantities.

Professor at UNSW Medicine David Sinclair, who led the age-defying research, sold this technology to the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, which has created
more than 4,000 types of synthetic activators.

“In the history of pharmaceuticals, there has never been a drug that tweaks an enzyme to make it run faster,” Sinclair said in a press release.

The primary use of the drug will be for patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and various cancers, though it may also be used to prevent these diseases from
developing.

“Now we are looking at whether there are benefits for those who are already healthy. Things there are also looking promising,” Sinclair said. “We’re finding that aging isn’t the irreversible affliction that we thought it was. Some of us could live to 150, but we won’t get there without
more research”

This new class of anti-aging drugs is expected to hit the markets within five years.