FROM: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_502610.html?menu=
Scientists move closer to finding 'elixir of life'
Scientists working on a discovering an elixir of life say it has already worked on fruit flies.
The drug is said to increase longevity while maintaining youthful health.
US researchers are confident enough to be planning a new set of experiments on mice.
The processes involved could open up important new leads in understanding ageing.
The drug is called 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) and has already been approved in the US for treating cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia.
Its influence on lifespan was discovered by accident while the scientists were investigating its effect on fruit flies with neurodegenerative disease.
Giving the drug to healthy flies extended their maximum lifespan by more than 50% and their average lifespan by a third.
But the most significant outcome was the fact that there was no price to pay for the extra time, New Scientist magazine reports. Previous research has indicated that normally there is a trade off between long lifespan and health and sexual vigour.
The flies, far from paying for their longevity with a weaker constitution, survived better than those not given PBA. Their weight remained normal and they produced normal numbers of offspring.
Kyung-Tai Min, leading the research team from the National Institutes of Health and California Institute of Technology, said: "We are going to test more, but so far, it seems they are perfect."