A Brown University press release reported today on the discovery of a cellular mechanism that may eventually evolve into an anti-aging methodology.

The discovery centres around a genetic mutation called Indy (I’m Not Dead Yet) that they first discovered in 2000, which markedly extended (almost doubled) the average lifespans of the flies, with maximum lifespan also seeing a significant, but slightly lower, increase. Here’s their survival graph – impressive!

They’ve now revealed that the mutation causes a reduction in the generation of free radicals as a byproduct of cellular metabolism. Interestingly, this decrease occurred without affecting the energy-production levels in the cell.

By studying the differences in gene expression between the normal and Indy flies over the course of their lifetimes, the researchers found that genes in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway were significantly lower in the Indy flies, with differences becoming increasingly marked as the flies aged.

The researchers believe that the Indy mutants make up for what ought to be a reduced energy-production capacity by increasing their mitochondrial density. This alteration in the mitochondrial physiology may be increasing the cells efficiency, producing more energy relative to ROS (reactive oxygen species) generation.

It’s hoped that these discoveries will one day lead to non-genetic therapeutic interventions that accomplish similar to what’s going on in the Indy mutant fruit flies.

The full text of the article is available here (PDF, open access).