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"Elixir of life discovered"
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An "elixir of life" biochemical has been discovered in the soil of Easter Island, prompting suggestions that an "anti-ageing" pill could soon be produced.
Scientists believe the antifungal agent rapamycin, found on the South Pacific island, produced by soil bacteria, has life-extending properties.
They predict further research on the compound could lead to a genuine "anti-ageing" pill that keeps people young.
Rapamycin was first discovered in the 1970s in soil samples from the South Pacific island famous for its ancient monoliths.
Today it is used as an immunosuppressor to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.
Researchers in the USA fed the drug to ageing mice and increased the life expectancy of males by 28 per cent and females by 38 per cent.
Dr Arlan Richardson, director of the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies in Texas, where much of the work was carried out, said: "I've been in ageing research for 35 years and there have been many so-called 'anti-ageing' interventions over those years that were never successful.
"I never thought we would find an anti-ageing pill for people in my lifetime; however, rapamycin shows a great deal of promise to do just that."
The mice were given rapamycin late in life, when they were 20 months old - or 60 in human years.
The compound blocks activity of an enzyme called TOR which regulates cell metabolism, cell growth and protein manufacture in response to environmental cues.
Reducing TOR function had already been shown to extend the life of yeast, nematode worms and flies, but the effect had never before been seen in mammals. Previously, the only way to extend the life of a rodent had been to severely restrict its diet.
The drug had to be reformulated to make it stable enough for the mice to digest in their food.
Professor Randy Strong, one of the researchers from the University of Texas, said: "We believe this is the first convincing evidence that the ageing process can be slowed and lifespan can be extended by a drug therapy starting at an advanced age."
While news of the experiment was welcomed, a not of caution was sounded about the research, published in the journal Nature.
Dr Lynne Cox, an expert on ageing at Oxford University, said: "This is a very exciting study where a single drug with a known cellular effect increases the life expectancy and lifespan of mice.
"It is especially interesting that the drug was effective even when given to older mice - equivalent to 60-year-old humans - as it would be much better to treat ageing in older people rather than using drugs long term through life.
"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.
"What the study does is to highlight an important molecular pathway that new, more specific drugs might be designed to work on. Whether it's a sensible thing to try to increase lifespan this way is another matter: perhaps increasing health span rather than overall lifespan might be a better goal."
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