The pill was developed by a research team from the University of New South Wales and has already shown success in repairing damaged DNA in mice.
Professor David Sinclair, the head of the research team, told the Daily Mail that the drug could be available to the general population as early as 2020 if the human trials succeed.
“This is the closest we are to a safe and effective anti-aging drug that’s perhaps only three to five years away from being on the market if the trials go well,” Professor Sinclair said.
Professor Sinclair and his colleague Dr. Lindsay Wu have spent the last four year experimenting with a cell signaling molecule named NAD+, which is naturally present in every cell in our body, and plays a key role in the protein interactions which control DNA repair.
Professor Sinclair and Dr. Wu, through their companies MetroBiotech NSW and MetroBiotech International, have worked tirelessly since 2013 to turn NAD+ into a synthesized consumable drug which they have named “NMN”.
During test trials on mice, Professor Sinclair’s team found that their “NAD+ booster” NMN improved the mammals cell ability to repair DNA damage caused by radiation exposure and aging.
“The cells of the old mice were indistinguishable from the young mice after just one week of treatment,” Professor Sinclair told the Daily Mail.
I have been following Dr. Sinclair’s work with NAD+ for three years and am looking forward to reviewing the results of the NMN human trials.