1 in 6 people in the world will be over the age of 65 by 2050. This demographic shift will create a "gray tsunami" that will result in a dramatic increase in morbidity rates and add new pressures to our health systems. But what if we could take a drug to keep our bodies and minds younger for longer?
That's exactly what RAZOR's Emma Keeling explores in this film on ageing, talking to Vera Gorbunova and Zhengdong Zhang who are studying a protein called SIRT6 which is strongly linked to longer lifespans.
The rare gene variant was identified in people who have lived to 100 or more and appears to slow down the fundamental processes that cause ageing. The team behind the research says the findings could boost efforts to develop anti-ageing drugs.