An MIT professor and scientist is set to challenge the signs of aging by creating a "vitamin pill" that significantly slows them down.
Dr. Leonard Guarente is currently the professor of biology in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and also heads the Glenn Laboratory for the Science and Aging. According to the lab's website, it is interested in learning why living things age or the influence of genes to longevity.
Sixty-two-year-old Guarente has therefore spent many years doing research on aging, and based on them, he is now able to create a pill that not only helps repair damaged DNA but also boosts energy and significantly reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
The pill called BASIS contains components that help build NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Together with pterostilbene and resveratrol, NAD can improve the production of sirtuins, which then help the animals such as lab mice and worms live longer. In fact, they can help mice acquire a body that is much younger than their actual age.
The pill will be commercially available next week. It will be sold $60 for a 30-day supply and $50 a month for a regular subscription. Each bottle has 60 blue capsules, Basis will be sold only in Elysium Health, the company he co-founded and where he served as its chief scientist.
It also boasts support from 5 Nobel laureates including Jack Szostak who received the coveted prize in 2009 after discovering that DNA is protected by telomeres. Also listed in their official team page were so-called pioneers of medicine and science, as well as industry innovators.
The pills, however, will not go through Food and Drug Administration's approval since, according to Dr. Guarente, it takes a lot of time and is costly. Hence, Basis will be considered a vitamin pill.
