By Eve Herold –
A Silicon Valley startup owned by Mitrix Bio plans to begin the first age-reversal trial in human volunteers later this year. What does this have to do with the moon? The study is first aimed at helping astronauts withstand the high-radiation, microgravity conditions of space, which lead to muscle loss and other complications of premature aging. Biotech Explorers, the subsidiary of Mitrix, will transplant young, bioreactor-grown mitochondria into a group of volunteers in their 70s and 80s to see if the technique reverses aging. Many have theorized that dysfunctional mitochondria, which deteriorates as we age, is responsible for cellular malfunction in aging, and if the transplant technique works, it will be a groundbreaking development for anti-aging medicine. Based on research from a team of scientists from Stanford University and other U.S. and Canadian universities, the treatment could also help cure a number of mitochondrial diseases. If all goes well, it will be tried in astronauts, but eventually the rest of us will get a shot at it. Volunteer Ed LaBarre (80) said, “The internet has expanded the power of the human brain a hundred-fold, rockets shoot us to other planets, but we’re still stuck with these frail, short-lived physical bodies. It makes no sense. We’re past-due for an upgrade.”
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