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Scientists hope drug may help us live longer
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Correspondent08.07.09
Scientists have announced a major breakthrough in creating a pill to make us live longer.
Researchers used a compound found in the soil of Easter Island in the Seventies to increase longevity in mice by up to 38 per cent.
Called rapamycin, the US research team is hopeful it could have a similar effect on humans.
But Dr Lynne Cox, researcher in ageing at Oxford, said: “In no way should anyone consider using this particular drug to try to extend their own lifespan as rapamycin suppresses immunity. While the lab mice were protected from infection, that's simply impossible in the human population.”
Men in Tower Hamlets have the third-lowest life expectancy in the country — behind Manchester and Liverpool. Just 56 per cent of men in the area will reach 75.
