In what could mark a groundbreaking shift in modern medicine, scientists say they may have developed a drug capable of halting the aging process and reversing certain types of cell death in humans. Clinical trials for the treatment are expected to begin later this year.
At the heart of this development is necrosis, a form of unregulated cell death that can lead to harmful inflammation and genetic instability. Unlike the natural and programmed process of cell death known as apoptosis, necrosis causes cells to swell and burst, spilling their contents and potentially contributing to serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, various cancers, and kidney disease.
A recent study published in the cancer research journal Oncogene explored how targeting necrosis could offer new approaches to combating disease and aging. Dr. Carina Kern, a former geneticist at University College London and now CEO of biotech firm LinkGevity, is leading the research.
Dr. Kern believes the development of so-called “anti-necrotics,” a new category of medication, could represent the first true pharmaceutical breakthrough in reversing the biological signs of aging. Speaking to The Express, she explained that her personal experiences influenced her mission, recalling the helplessness she felt watching her grandmother’s rapid decline from an age-related illness.
“At the time, I could not comprehend how I was so easily cured of nearly any injury, and I would be back to normal. But with her, the doctors just said ‘you can’t intervene—it’s just ageing,'” she said. This experience led Kern to develop what she calls the “Blueprint Theory” of aging, which focuses on identifying key cellular processes—like necrosis—as critical intervention points.
“Levels of calcium inside the cell are typically 10,000 to 100,000 times lower than outside,” she explained. “Calcium is a key signalling molecule… Upon stress, you lose this regulation, and then you’re initiating multiple pathways in a heightened and really destructive manner.”
Although necrosis has been known for over a century, scientists have only recently begun to uncover how it might be preventable. According to Kern, blocking multiple molecular targets simultaneously resulted in a 90 percent reduction in necrosis in lab models.
Her collaborator, Dr. Keith Siew, emphasized the implications for kidney disease—an area of urgent medical need. “The kidney is by far the most in-demand organ, and the one you’re most likely to die on a waiting list for,” Siew noted.
Dr. Siew, who also collaborates with NASA to study the effects of cosmic radiation on organs during deep space travel, suggested that anti-necrotics could even be critical for future astronauts. “Anti-necrotics could be a way to make those tissues and organs resilient enough to withstand that damage and pause cell death,” he said.
Despite their optimism, both researchers remain cautious. “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” Siew concluded. “Until that data is rock solid… a lot of people will view this skeptically and rightfully so.”