Nanotechnology to be used to reverse aging process and cure cancer

Matthew Sarad, former chief executive of Telomolecular in California, US, plans to demonstrate the power of nanotechnology based regenerative medicines in a series of animal-based experiments.

Sarad will attempt to rejuvenate sheep with advanced nanotechnologies developed by his labs. His goal is to demonstrate that a combination of nanotechnology based therapeutics can be used to "make young again" moderately aged large animals that are genetically similar to man. The experiment will be considered successful if it doubles the sheep's lifespan and decreases its chronological age by more than 40%.

Sarad is seeking the support of university partners, collaborators and benefactors to rejuvenate three adult animals by mid 2011.

Some of the therapeutic nanotechnologies pioneered by Sarad are being studied in animals at hospitals and research centres in the US, including a nanotechnology based therapeutic for treating post stroke reperfusion injury and anti-cancer therapeutics that show excellent safety profiles and higher remission rates.

While at Telomolecular from 2005 to 2008, Sarad demonstrated that it is possible to rejuvenate tissues by delivering the whole telomerase protein to cells with a nanotechnology based drug delivery system.

The shortening of telomeres plays a role in the development of certain age-associated diseases, such as macular degeneration, arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, and other degenerative diseases that might be reversed by restoring telomere length.

"I think we now have a mixture of nanotechnology based gene therapy products that can result in what might be called significant 'organismal rejuvenation'," said Sarad.

The research may also change the way that cancer is treated in the future.