HARVARD SCIENTISTS BELIEVE they could help to reverse the signs of ageing in humans after successfully rejuvenating the worn-out organs of mice.

The lead scientist on the study, Ronald DePinho, said that they saw a “dramatic reversal” in the ageing process of the elderly mice, the Guardian reports.

DePinho said the success of this study “could lead to strategies that enhance the regenerative potential of organs as individuals age and so increase their quality of life”.

He added: “Whether it serves to increase longevity is a question we are not yet in a position to answer”. The group is now investigating if their treatment does increase the mice’s lifespan.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the drug used by the group contains the enzyme telomerase, which could cause cancer. DePinho said none of the mice involved in their study developed cancer after they received the treatment.

The group’s work could help reduce the effects of age-related illnesses which result from tissue degeneration.

The group worked with mice that had been specifically genetically-engineered for premature ageing. The research, conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Harvard Medical School, has been published in Nature magazine.